Baltimore committee closes public testimony on mayor-backed housing bill, vows more work sessions

The Land Use and Transportation Committee on Dec. 1 closed public testimony on Council Bill 25-0066 — the mayor’s Housing Options and Opportunity Act — after roughly an hour of in-person testimony and opened a period of work sessions to refine amendments and data requirements before making a recommendation to the full City Council.

Chair Ryan Dorsey reiterated that the committee would not vote on the bill that day but would use future work sessions to try to resolve points of disagreement. The bill, introduced in May as part of a five-bill package, would expand where two-to-four unit homes are allowed and change conversion rules that currently limit multifamily development in much of the city’s residential zones.

Opponents who testified described the package as rushed and unevenly applied. Michael Scott, a resident, said the bill “is another experiment being run on the backs of Black neighborhoods,” arguing that historically Black middle-class blocks lack the private covenants and enforcement capacity that protect other areas. Multiple speakers, including community organizations, urged…