Affordable Housing Archives - Page 14 of 31 - Coalition For Smarter Growth

Category: Affordable Housing

MEMO: CSG Comments on Thrive 2050 Housing Chapter

Posted on October 13, 2021June 13, 2022 by Ayesha Amsa

TO: Montgomery County Council Planning, Housing, and Economic Development (PHED) Committee

FROM: Jane Lyons, Maryland Advocacy Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth

DATE: Thursday, October 7, 2021

SUBJECT: Coalition for Smarter Growth’s Comments on Thrive 2050 Housing Chapter

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Prior to Monday’s work session on Thrive’s Affordable and Attainable Housing chapter, I wanted to reach out to share CSG’s recommendations:

Create a stronger vision for economically and racially diverse neighborhoods: While this chapter does discuss this goal, we believe it needs to be more of a priority and included in the text of the goals and policies themselves, rather than just the chapter’s introduction. If economically and racially diverse neighborhoods were a primary goal, the subsequent policies would more deeply discuss targeting higher income areas with more housing, including subsidized housing. Furthermore, Thrive 2050 should recommit the county to subsidized housing being mixed income. This was not always the case in the affordable housing industry and exacerbated segregation.

Amplify the need for housing those with the lowest incomes: The chapter is called “Affordable & Attainable Housing: More of Everything,” but spends most of the text explaining the need for more market rate housing and diverse housing types. While this is correct and we are grateful for this focus, we would like to see the chapter go into more detail about the housing needs of those who the market is very likely to still leave cost burdened. To serve those of the lowest incomes, the county will need to beef up its existing affordable housing programs and think more boldly and creatively about new programs.

Don’t leave out tenant rights: Earlier drafts of Thrive 2050 had strong language declaring that housing is a human right — that language has since been deleted. We urge you to add it back in, and the ensuing importance of strong tenant rights and protections. The county must ensure that all households have safe, healthy housing that meets their needs and are not left behind by land use changes that result in higher property values and increased rents.

Think carefully about incentives: We support public incentives for desirable, transit-oriented development and subsidized, income-restricted housing. However, financial incentives, especially for market-rate development, should be carefully considered. Thus, we recommend the following edit on page 99: “Provide incentives to boost housing production for market rate and affordable housing, especially near transit and in Complete Communities.” Non-financial incentives can include adjustments in the development approval process.

Here is some proposed language to be added, primarily under the third goal of “Promote racial and economic diversity and equity in housing in every neighborhood.”

“Ensure that every area of the county welcomes an equitable share of income-restricted and social housing, especially in neighborhoods with high incomes, a high concentration of jobs, or high-capacity transit.”
Add back language from staff working draft: “Continue to promote the policy of mixed-income housing development through the implementation of county policies, programs, regulations, and other tools and incentives.”
“Identify and allocate additional revenue for the Housing Initiative Fund (HIF), rental assistance program, and other housing programs to meet the needs of low-income households.”
It was also brought to my attention that the plan does not address the quality and safety of housing. We recommend adding “Enforce and strengthen existing housing code regulations and renter protections to ensure healthy and fair housing.” We’d also support adding back language from the staff draft of the plan: “Protect tenants’ rights, improve living conditions in rental housing, and ensure renters’ contributions to the community are emphasized and valued.”
Add back language from staff working draft: “Expand housing access through the elimination of fair housing barriers and enforcement of fair housing laws to protect residents from discrimination.”
Under the first goal regarding production of more housing: “As part of the commitment to the Housing First approach, develop strategies to build deeply affordable housing, provide permanent supportive housing, and legal counsel for evictions.”
We also concur with JUFJ’s recommendations to add eviction rates and housing cost burden for renters and owners to the metrics section of the chapter. It would be best to see housing cost burden and many of the other currently listed metrics broken down by either planning area or census tract.

CSG Testimony: Support for Prince George’s Countywide Map Amendment with recommendation to address risk of displacement in multifamily zones in Transit Centers

Posted on September 15, 2021June 3, 2022 by Cheryl Cort

CSG-support-for-CMA-with-Transit-Ctr-change Download

CSG Testimony: DC FY22 Budget Oversight for the Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD) & Housing Production Trust Fund (HPTF)

Posted on June 30, 2021October 21, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

CSG-testimony-DHCD-FY22-Budget-Oversight-6-14-21 Download

CSG Testimony: Attainable Housing Strategies

Posted on June 23, 2021January 31, 2025 by Ayesha Amsa

We strongly support the direction of the Planning Department’s recommendations for more diverse housing typologies in Montgomery County, especially in places near transit, amenities, and jobs. Inequitable, unsustainable land use patterns are a systemic problem at the root of some of our most difficult social issues. Montgomery County should not be a place where your zip code can predict your future income, health, or other life outcomes.

Middle housing zoning reform will not change neighborhoods overnight or solve all our housing challenges. Rather, smart land use decisions will lay the foundation for a better, more just society where people can find a place to live that fits their needs, their income, and provides access to opportunities. It will help Montgomery County become a place where more people can choose to live car-lite or car-free and drive less; a place where more people can start a family or age-in-place.

CSG Testimony: Thrive 2050 to County Council

Posted on June 14, 2021October 21, 2021 by Ayesha Amsa

We strongly support the Planning Board’s draft of Thrive 2050, although we urge you to further strengthen certain areas. Thrive creates a vital blueprint for a county that is more affordable, walkable, prosperous, resilient, and racially and economically integrated, and recognizes that the best way to achieve that vision is through embracing the principles of inclusive smart growth, urbanism, and equitable transit-oriented development.

The decisions you will make in this document will have generational implications for how we live, work, and play. The world in 2050 will be very different no matter what — the question is whether we allow our communities to evolve in order to preserve what we value the most: diversity, sustainability, affordability, prosperity, equity, and social mobility.

Updates to the DC Comprehensive Plan Pass!

Posted on May 26, 2021October 21, 2021 by Emily Maurer

On May 18, after five years of advocacy and hard work, the DC Council voted unanimously to approve the amendments to the 2006 Comprehensive Plan. Thanks to all those who have taken action over these five years to convince the city to do more to address our acute need for affordable housing and more homes near transit.

Working with a terrific group of partners in the Housing Priorities Coalition, with the DC Office of Planning, and with the Council, we fought for and helped create a much better document to guide the future of our city. The updated plan puts a priority on affordable housing, sets a goal of 15% for each part of the city, and highlights the opportunity in Ward 3, which today hosts just 1% of the city’s affordable housing stock.

The Future Land Use Map creates room to build more homes, especially near transit. This reduces pressure on existing housing, and helps those who should be able to be served by the market to find a place to live. At the same time, the plan also better addresses displacement of vulnerable residents.

The update focuses on bringing racial equity into every land use decision we make. Recognizing that Black families in DC earn a third of what white families earn and have a median family income (MFI) at just 40% of the region’s MFI, the plan refocuses goals, policies, and spending priorities to meet the needs of these families. Until now, DC programs have too often focused on 80% of median family income.

Donate to support our work!

We are eager to get on with implementation — ensuring the Council increases public funding for deeply affordable housing, creating local plans to guide neighborhood change, rezoning for more mixed-income housing near transit, and incorporation of racial equity assessments into Zoning Commission decisions. Then we’ll participate in the full rewrite of our Comp Plan, due to start in 2025.

Thank you for your involvement and contribution to this success! With this milestone behind us, stay with us as we continue our work to build a more sustainable, equitable and vibrant DC.

RISE Prince George’s 5/18/21 event with Angie Rodgers

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

On May 18, 2021, RISE Prince George’s convened a virtual event to discuss the future of housing & economic development in the County. The talk was titled: “We can’t have quality economic development without affordable housing: so how do we get it all?” with:

Angie Rodgers, Prince George’s Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Economic Development, and Scott Nordheimer, Co-Founder and Senior Advisor, Urban Atlantic (lead developer at the New Carrollton Metro Station)

View the recording of the event on Youtube.

Take the survey: Please answer this brief survey to let us know more about what you want from RISE Prince George’s.

RISE Prince George’s event with Angie Rodgers – Materials

RISE Prince George’s PPT discussion of mission statement and advocacy theme

New Carrollton Station vision https://greaterwashingtonpartnership.com/capital-region-rail-vision/

Housing Opportunities for All Work Group https://pgccouncil.us/628/Housing-Opportunities-For-All-Work-Group

Housing Indicator Tool: A Dashboard for Measuring Progress Towards Meeting Regional Housing Needs

Missing Middle Housing study: to begin in FY22

Press Statement: CSG lauds final vote on DC Comp Plan update

Posted on May 19, 2021June 9, 2022 by Cheryl Cort

Contact: Cheryl Cort, cheryl@smartergrowth.net

We are grateful that yesterday the DC Council has finally adopted the Comp Plan update to amend the woefully out of date 2006 plan. Through the process, advocates worked with the Council and DC Office of Planning to create a much better document to guide the future of our city. The updated plan puts a priority on affordable housing, and sets a goal of 15% for each part of the city. It cites the opportunity in Ward 3, which today has only 1% of the city’s affordable housing stock. The updated Future Land Use Map gives us room to grow, especially around transit.

The update gives us a new focus on bringing racial equity into every land use decision we make. Racial equity will also be advanced by recognizing that Black DC families earn a third of what white families earn. The plan therefore refocuses our affordability goals and plans to meet the needs of Black residents whose median family income is 40% of the region’s. Until now, DC programs often focused on 80% of median family income — or twice the median income of Black families in the District.

The Future Land Use Map will encourage building more homes, especially near transit. This reduces pressure on existing housing, and helps moderate income households find a place to live. At the same time, the plan better addresses displacement of residents. It places a priority on lower income families, many of whom are Black. Now, we need to significantly increase public funding and focus these limited resources on helping those with lower incomes.

CSG memo on 80% MFI income targeting in DC Comp Plan

Posted on May 3, 2021October 21, 2021 by Cheryl Cort

CSG-Revise-80-MFI-amendments-B24-1-2 Download

Event: Building Inclusivity in Ward 3 –What’s in the Affordable Housing Toolbox?

Posted on April 29, 2021June 7, 2022 by Cheryl Cort

April 27, 2021, CSG and Ward3Vision hosted an event to learn about the many tools we have to make Ward 3 a more inclusive, affordable place to live. We discussed: “what is affordable housing?”, approaches and policies like federal and local subsidies, public land, missing middle housing, ADUs, public housing, land use policy, and inclusionary zoning. The event also helped the audience understand how affordable housing actually gets financed.

Featured speakers: Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh; Tracy Hadden Loh, PhD, Brookings Institution Fellow and Greater Greater Washington Board Chair; Stan Wall, P.E., Partner, HR&A Advisors and ANC Commissioner 3F04; Patrick McAnaney, Somerset Development; Andrew Trueblood, Director, DC Office of Planning; David Cristeal, LSA Planning, ANC Commissioner 3F01, Ward 3 Vision Steering Committee and former Housing Director, Arlington County (moderator)