Anne Arundel Delegation Seeks Flexibility to Waive Development Impact Fees for Targeted Housing

Delegate Andrew Pruske asked the committee for a favorable report on House Bill 453 on March 6, legislation that would remove certain state limitations and give the Anne Arundel County Council broader discretion to grant exemptions or credits against local development impact fees for defined housing categories.

Pruske said the change would allow the county council to examine exemptions on a case-by-case basis and to better align impact-fee policy with local development and affordable-housing goals. "HB 453 is important because it gives more flexibility to the Anne Arundel County Council to decide whether there are conditions for granting those exemptions or credits," Pruske said.

Ethan Hunt, representing the Anne Arundel County administration, told the committee the bill would be another tool to address housing affordability and that terms such as accessory dwelling unit (ADU), moderately priced dwelling unit (MPDU), and workforce housing are already defined in county code. Committee members queried whether the authority would create blanket waivers; Hunt and Pruske said recent delegation amendments narrowed the bill to the categories discussed rather than a broader authority.

Members also asked about fiscal impacts. Pruske said the county's inclusionary zoning ordinance had only recently gone into effect and no MPDUs had yet been constructed, limiting the availability of fiscal data. The sponsor and county representatives said the measure would primarily make it easier for the county to incentivize on-site affordable units rather than require fee waivers without oversight.

The bill is local to Anne Arundel County and passed out of the county delegation as amended. No committee vote was taken at the March 6 hearing.