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EDC agrees to review '2030 prosperity' housing strategy focusing on workforce, schools and infrastructure
Summary
The commission voted to review Matt Bergen’s draft '2030 prosperity strategy,' which frames housing growth as the revenue source for schools, roads and workforce retention and cites a projected shortfall of roughly 4,097 homes; commissioners asked for data on price‑point demand and monitoring of lot inventories.
The St. Mary’s County Economic Development Commission voted to review a draft "2030 prosperity strategy" that its author, Matt Bergen, presented as a roadmap to align housing growth with workforce needs and county revenue requirements.
Bergen said the central premise of the draft is that housing growth drives property and income taxes that pay for schools, roads and services. “Additional housing is essentially the chicken that lays the egg for additional schooling and road improvements,” he said, and urged intentional, not reactive, growth. Bergen cited a county housing shortfall figure of roughly 4,097 units and asked the commission to examine price‑point demand (for example, how many of those units are needed at $300,000 or below versus higher price points).
Commissioners and other members discussed how nontraditional workforce migration, regional development patterns and rezoning affect forecasts. One commissioner asked whether SEDS (Strategic Economic Development Strategy) updates would incorporate the housing strategy; staff confirmed the SEDS revision and the 2050 comprehensive plan update are connected and that the FY27 budget includes funds to begin the SEDS update process.
Curtis Brown moved that the commission review Bergen’s draft, provide redlines and return it via BoardDocs for further discussion; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. The commission did not adopt the strategy at the meeting but agreed to review and comment ahead of the next meeting.
The discussion covered monitoring challenges (lots in review, rezoning volatility) and suggested follow‑up work: drill down by housing type and price point, coordinate with planning commission processes, and examine incentives (such as a suggested "next generation" fund to earmark development revenue for future school and maintenance costs).
