Worcester County adds fair housing assessment to comp plan as officials flag affordability gaps

Ainsley, the planner presenting the housing chapter, told the Worcester County planning commission that the team added a new "fair housing assessment" to the draft comprehensive plan after guidance from the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. "This assessment evaluates local housing conditions, identifies patterns of segregation, disparities in access to housing and opportunities, and various affecting protected classes," Ainsley said.

The presentation drew a public interjection from Marlene Ott, who identified herself as a real estate agent: "I believe the Fair Housing Act also includes source of income," Ott said, urging the commission to recognize source-of-income protections. Ainsley said staff would "pull that data into here and include it as part of the fair housing assessment" where feasible and otherwise add a policy statement noting non-discrimination by source of income.

Staff framed the analysis around U.S. Census American Community Survey figures and the 2025 Worcester County housing study. Ainsley summarized the plan's chief findings, noting the county's older population and the uneven geographic distribution of race and wealth that may affect access: the housing study found "only 15 percent of seniors report ambulatory disabilities," and the plan flags concentrations of Black residents in particular communities with lower median incomes and older housing stock.

Commissioners pressed the scale of affordability challenges. Ainsley cited long-range trends: "Between 2000 and 2020, median home values increased by approximately a 120%" while median household income increased about 61%, and "monthly rent typically exceeds $2,200," which she said requires about a $100,000 annual household income to be affordable. The presentation also said "more than half of renter households are cost-burdened" and that roughly "more than 6,000 households in the county fall below the threshold required to afford basic living expenses."

The new housing goal added to the chapter reads that the county will "affirmatively further fair housing and reduce disparities in access to housing and opportunity," with a corresponding action item directing staff to "address disparities in housing access and outcomes based on the fair housing assessment." Ainsley said the language was deliberately broad so priorities can be set later and to satisfy the state's review requirements.

Next steps: staff will finalize the draft, incorporate the agreed edits (including a short statement recognizing source-of-income protections), post the updated plan on the county website, and carry the chapter forward to the scheduled public hearings.