Advisory group urges new affordability measures, incentives and green-design principles for Frederick County housing plan

The Frederick County Housing Element Advisory Group met Jan. 9 at 30 North Market Street to consider how the county's housing strategy should align with economic development and green infrastructure priorities.

Karin Flom, a county staff member, opened the meeting and summarized work from the advisory group's first four sessions, noting prior activities included visioning, inventorying housing tools, mapping potential housing types across Community Growth Areas, and prioritizing tools for affordable housing.

Advisory group members questioned whether Area Median Income (AMI) alone properly captures local housing need and recommended looking at alternative measures such as the United Way's ALICE metric and data from organizations including the National Association of Realtors and the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Members said affordability analyses should account for household costs beyond rent'including utilities, property taxes and insurance.

Members also raised geographic equity concerns, saying lower-cost housing is being pushed farther into outlying parts of the county. They cautioned that longer commutes increase transportation and childcare burdens and that some outlying areas lack infrastructure or services to absorb population growth.

To expand housing affordable to workers, the group recommended a range of production incentives and partnerships: expedited permitting, reductions in impact fees, donating public land to affordable developers, and targeted private-sector collaborations. The advisory group identified special populations with particular needs, including people with physical or mental disabilities and residents in sober living, and urged that those needs be factored into program design.

On strategies to help people remain housed, members discussed landlord-tenant programs and an ombudsman role to resolve tenancy disputes and reduce displacement.

Members also discussed County-business collaboration options. They recommended land trusts'noting Habitat for Humanity Frederick County is authorized to operate as a land trust'and public-private partnerships that could concentrate employer-supported housing near job centers. The Johns Hopkins workforce development example from East Baltimore was cited as a model of targeted private investment.

The green infrastructure discussion emphasized directing more intensive land use to sites already zoned and served by infrastructure, increasing density or building taller to preserve green space, and allowing zoning flexibility for accessory dwelling units, tiny homes and lowered parking requirements. Members recommended incorporating on-site green elements such as green roofs and shifting some stormwater management from gray infrastructure to green systems, citing the Carroll Creek example and projects in Philadelphia.

Members also flagged inequities in access to recreational amenities. The group noted a lack of general public pools and increasing HOA and facility operating costs that can be passed on to residents; existing partnerships such as the YMCA in Urbana were described as partial solutions.

Due to time constraints the advisory group deferred a scheduled Fair Housing discussion and recommended addressing Accessory Dwelling Units at the next meeting, set for Jan. 23, 2025. The meeting adjourned at 4:02 PM.

Background: Presentation slides and meeting materials are posted on the Frederick County Housing Element webpage.