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County presents Next Generation Housing, Hart and Homestead and brownfields results
Summary
Washington County staff briefed the Land Use & Planning Committee on housing and redevelopment programs: a 1,000‑unit Next Generation Housing goal by 2032, Hart and Homestead down‑payment assistance ($3.2M awarded to 167 recipients since launch), and brownfields redevelopment supported by EPA grants and local investment.
County community development staff presented program updates that the committee’s members described as well‑received and promising for local housing and redevelopment.
Miss Silski summarized six community development areas and highlighted three that report to the county executive: Next Generation Housing, Hart and Homestead, and the Brownfields Redevelopment program. She said Next Generation Housing aims to provide 1,000 attainable dwelling units by 2032 with pricing tiers (about 40% targeted at $340,000, another 40% at $360,000 and the remainder under $420,000) and reported that 185 dwelling units have been funded so far.
On Hart and Homestead, Silski said the down‑payment assistance provides $20,000 that recipients earn over the first five years via volunteering or donations to participating agencies; the program has awarded over $3,200,000 to 167 recipients. She said recipients have contributed nearly 20,000 volunteer hours and $121,000 has been donated to 87 nonprofit agencies.
Silski also reviewed the county’s Brownfields Redevelopment program, which began after a 2013 U.S. EPA grant. She said the county has redeveloped about 61 acres under the program, driven by EPA assessment grants and a revolving loan fund, and cited roughly $3,100,000 in abatement/demolition/cleanup investment and about $115,000,000 in construction investment associated with those redevelopment efforts.
Supervisors asked about municipal participation (Germantown was specifically mentioned) and rollout timing for next application rounds; Silski said Germantown participates in Brownfields and has been engaged on Next Generation Housing discussions. On Hart and Homestead, staff explained a 90‑day requirement for accepted applicants to have a contract to build or an offer to purchase; the most recent funding round was fully allocated and may be replenished if some accepted applicants drop out within that window.
Supervisors praised the programs’ outcomes and asked staff to continue reporting progress. Silski said staff anticipate updates in the July meeting cycle.
