We should all be alarmed that little to no new rental housing projects are being financed as of August 2023 – for an indefinite period. In August, DHCD (not HFA) announced that the District hit the federal ceiling on private-activity bond issuance, known as the “bond cap” which effectively limits the allocation of 4% Low Income Tax Credits (LIHTC). This shocking announcement brought numerous shovel-ready affordable housing projects to a sudden, abrupt halt.
Category: Affordable Housing
Testimony: FY2025 Capital Budget for Department of Housing and Community Development (MD, Support)
We wish to express our strong support for the proposed capital budget that will make critical investments in rental housing programs and community revitalization. The FY25 capital budget proposes $110 million in rental housing support, doubling what was provided in the last budget. This would create thousands of desperately needed quality homes for low- and moderate-income families. This investment provides essential funding to the successful Rental Housing Works (RHW) program.
Event: Attainable Housing in Montgomery County (Feb 2024)
At Montgomery for All‘s February meeting, we heard from Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson and housing planner Lisa Govoni about upcoming action on Montgomery County housing targets and the Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative.
We also heard from YIMBYs of NoVA co-founder Luca Gattoni-Celli about how advocates worked together and took a positive approach to win major missing middle housing legislation in Arlington and Alexandria. Montgomery for All is a grassroots, community-led group advocating for sustainable and inclusive land use, housing, and transit policies in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Event recording: Montgomery for All: Attainable Housing Briefing (February 2024)
Slides — Lisa Govoni, Montgomery Planning: Local Housing Targets & Attainable Housing Strategies Overview
Attainable Housing:
On March 21, the Planning Board will hold two public listening sessions in the afternoon and evening on the Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative. This initiative is the next step in implementing the Thrive 2050 General Plan and expanding the range of housing types available in Montgomery County.
- Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative
- Sign up to testify in-person or virtually for March 21 attainable housing listening sessions
- Instructions on submitting written testimony to the Planning Board (scroll to “Submit testimony to the Planning Board”)
Faith Housing ZTA:
- Sign up to testify for ZTA 24-01 on February 27
- Text: ZTA 24-01
- Submit written testimony to the County Council (note: it is most effective to also send any testimony you submit to each Councilmember’s office individually; find Councilmembers’ emails here)
Montgomery for All Resources:
- Become a member of Montgomery for All
- Data for Progress polling data on Thrive 2050
- Montgomery for All guide: How to Testify
YIMBYs of NoVA:
Housing Targets:
Montgomery Planning will brief the Council’s Planning, Housing, and Parks committee on housing targets on March 18. See select slides below and view the full slide presentation here.
Testimony: FY2025 Capital Budget for Department of Housing and Community Development (MD, Support)
We wish to express our strong support for the proposed capital budget that will make critical investments in rental housing programs and community revitalization. The FY25 capital budget proposes $110 million in rental housing support, doubling what was provided in the last budget. This would create thousands of desperately needed quality homes for low- and moderate-income families. This investment provides essential funding to the successful Rental Housing Works (RHW) program.
Take Action: Sign up to testify for attainable housing!
On March 21, the Planning Board will hold a public listening session on the Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative. This is the next step in implementing the Thrive 2050 General Plan and expanding the range of housing types available in Montgomery County. The initiative makes recommendations for zoning changes to allow “missing middle” housing types like duplexes and triplexes in more parts of the county.
Testimony: Performance Oversight for the Department of Housing and Community Development and Housing Production Trust Fund (DC)
We wish to express our strong support for the HPTF, and urge the Council to remain committed to this essential tool for addressing our acute housing affordability challenges. Without it, we would be so much farther behind, leaving thousands of families without the homes they now enjoy. DC’s strong commitment to preserving and producing affordable housing is one of the leading efforts in the country. While our housing affordability challenges are severe, the HPTF provides irreplaceable capacity to address our needs.
Take Action: Urge DC Zoning Commission to increase affordable housing & prevent displacement at Takoma Metro
The DC Zoning Commission is considering a proposal from a tenants’ association and their non-profit partner to replace their aging 36-unit rental apartment building with a new, 4-story 100% affordable, accessible 80-unit building.
Testimony: NHP Elm Gardens Redevelopment (DC, Support)
We wish to express our strong support for Case No. 23-19. We are pleased to support this Planned Unit Development (PUD) to facilitate a tenant and non-profit-led redevelopment of an aging 36-unit rental apartment building into a new, 4-story 100% affordable, accessible 80-unit building. These units would include 36 replacement units and 44 new homes. The 44 new units would serve households earning 50% MFI or less. Eight units in the building would be reserved as permanent supportive housing to formerly unhoused people.
Act today to reduce parking requirements for affordable housing!
DC Office of Planning is proposing to the Zoning Commission a reduction in parking requirements for affordable housing in smaller buildings that are close to transit. This is good but the city can do more. We hope you will email the Zoning Commission to support these two amendments:
Testimony: Reducing parking requirements for affordable housing near transit (DC, Support with amendments)
We wish to express our support for Case No. 23-17 in two ways.
1) We support the recommended text amendment to reduce parking requirements for publicly assisted affordable dwelling units near transit, though we urge the commission to revise upward the threshold for relieving small projects of a parking requirement burden to 50 units rather than the 40 units proposed.
2) We ask the Zoning Commission to take a more significant step by eliminating parking requirements for affordable housing units, at least near transit.