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Chevy Chase Section Five presses county leaders on multi-family housing plan, retains land-use counsel
Summary
At its Dec. 10 meeting, Chevy Chase Section Five updated residents on a state technical amendment to Maryland Code Section 20-509 and the county's Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative, announced retention of land-use attorney Michele Rosenfeld and detailed meetings with County Council members.
Chevy Chase Section Five officials told residents at their Dec. 10 meeting they are intensifying outreach to county and state officials over proposed changes tied to multi-family housing.
Vice Chair Josh Galper said the Section joined a municipal call on Nov. 19 about a proposed technical amendment to Maryland Code Section 20-509. The bill received a first introduction on Dec. 9; Section municipal attorney Ron Bolt and two neighboring municipal leaders testified before the local state delegation on the Section's behalf. Several delegates raised concerns that the amendment could be interpreted as enabling municipal regulation of multi-family housing; witnesses stressed the amendment's stated purpose is to preserve existing municipal regulatory authority, Galper said.
The council also updated residents on the County's Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative (AHSI). Galper said the Section invited County Council members to walking tours of Section 5 to illustrate local infrastructure constraints; four council members accepted. At-Large Councilmember Evan Glass and Councilmember Sid Katz have already toured the neighborhood; Council Vice President Will Jawando and Councilmember Andrew Friedson are scheduled to visit in late December and early January. Councilmember Sean Downey said the Section pressed the County for more transparency and specific studies, noting an absence of site-specific data and analysis on pedestrian safety, parking, traffic and first-responder access.
To support its work on AHSI, the Section finalized a retainer agreement with local land-use attorney Michele Rosenfeld, who introduced herself at the meeting and described her role in representing Section 5 on planning and land-use matters. Officials framed Rosenfeld's retention as part of a broader effort to present detailed, location-specific concerns directly to council members and the planning department.
The initiatives described at the meeting are principally advocacy and fact-finding: the bill affecting Section authority has been introduced at the state level, and county planning work on AHSI remains ongoing. The Section will continue to host tours and meetings with county officials and to consult with Rosenfeld as the planning and legislative processes proceed.
