Baltimore’s Land Use & Transportation Committee received more than an hour of public testimony Dec. 1 on council bill 25-0066, the mayor’s Housing Options and Opportunity Act, before moving into a committee work session on amendments and reporting requirements. Committee Chair Ryan Dorsey said, "Today we have no intention of voting on this bill today, but, I am intent that the committee here should work to make some progress toward being able to make a recommendation to the full city council." No final committee vote was taken.

Public testimony split sharply. Michael Scott, a longtime resident, told the committee, "This bill is another experiment being run on the backs of black neighborhoods," arguing that covenant-protected neighborhoods would be shielded while predominantly Black rowhouse areas would absorb redevelopment risks. Other residents echoed concerns about notice, enforcement, parking and investor-driven conversions; Joan Floyd warned the bill could permit densities she calculated as high as "232 units per acre" in some zones.

Supporters said the measure could expand housing choices and lower costs. Dele, a young homeowner and developer, said the bill could create pathways to homeownership by allowing owners to build smaller, sellable units instead of a single large house. The Planning Commission recommended the bill, with a suggested triennial study; the State of Maryland sent a letter of support arguing the bill would help address a statewide housing shortage.

Committee members probed capacity and safeguards. Vice Chair Sharon Green Middleton and others urged more community engagement and more study; Councilman Mark Parker asked the administration and agencies for data on restrictive covenants, historic conversion patterns and the involvement of vacant buildings in past conversions. Commissioner Kennedy (Department of Housing and Community Development) said the department is in the process of hiring to restore inspection capacity and described work to create a separate sanitation inspection team to manage workloads.

Administration representatives said they are open to changes. Talos Chanella, deputy director of government relations, and Nina Themelas, director of government relations for Mayor Scott, said the administration considers the introduced bill a solid policy but will continue discussions with council members and the public to shape amendments that can gain broader support.

Among proposals discussed in the public meeting was an amendment to allow two units "by right" while requiring conditional-use review for three- and four-unit conversions through the Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals (BMZA), and a reporting package that would require annual BMZA data and a triennial planning/DHCD report on the number, location and type of new low-density multifamily units and whether the rules should be modified. Chair Dorsey said the committee will continue the bill as a work session with staff and agency partners; the public testimony record was closed at the end of the meeting.