We urge you to support DHCD’s operating funding requests. Montgomery County and Prince George’s County are each facing housing shortages that disproportionately harm low-income households. To meet the urgency and scale of our housing need, DHCD and practitioners must be fully supported and able to operate at full capacity.
Category: Affordable Housing
Two community events in Alexandria: Duke Street & Housing 2040
Alexandria is holding two community open houses next week where you can offer your input on two major ongoing projects: the Duke Street Land Use Plan and Housing 2040.
CSG in the News: Fairfax County residents face challenges in housing affordability
Stewart Schwartz, executive director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, offered a statement to the Fairfax County Times on the tools needed to ensure affordable housing.
Housing bills at the VA General Assembly
We are pleased to report that many of our bills have already passed their chambers of origin, meaning they have crossed over and will now be considered by the opposing chamber. Read on to see where these bills stand and how you can be a part of supporting housing affordability in Virginia.
Event materials: Does more housing make housing more affordable?
On January 22, 2026, we talked to leading housing experts about the relationship between housing production and affordability, and explored policy tools to provide stable, affordable housing across a range of incomes.
This was the third webinar in our series on our region’s housing needs, and how researchers, policymakers, and advocates can work together towards solutions.
Webinar: Does more housing make housing more affordable?
This Thursday, Jan. 22, we’re talking to housing experts to explore the relationship between housing production and affordability.
Event materials: How New Housing Affects Affordability. Virtual Screening + Q&A with Justine Underhill
This online event focused on the impacts of luxury housing on affordability. We screened “What Luxury Housing Does to Homelessness,” followed by a Q&A with its creator, Falls Church City Councilmember Justine Underhill. Justine is known for her dynamic video series simplifying complex housing concepts with research and engaging graphics. The discussion explored the connections between homelessness, affordability, and new housing, with a regional focus on Northern Virginia, where Justine is an elected official.
Here are a few of the materials we discussed:
- Video: What Luxury Housing Does to Homelessness
- Check out Justine’s website to see her other videos and get in touch
- For further reading: More Flexible Zoning Helps Contain Rising Rents
- The Effect of New Market-Rate Housing Construction on the Low-Income Housing Market
- Supply Skepticism Revisited
Event materials: Maryland Housing Needs & Solutions: Why is housing unaffordable, and what can we do to fix it?
At this webinar on December 8, 2025, we discussed two recent reports offering insight into why housing is so unaffordable, what its impact is, and what to do about it with a Maryland all star cast ⭐️:
- Kathryn Howell, PhD, Director of the National Center for Smart Growth, University of Maryland College Park & Associate Professor, Urban Studies & Planning Program
- Dani DiPietro, Policy Research Director, Office of the Comptroller of Maryland
- Natali Fani-González, Council President and District 6 Councilmember, Montgomery County, Maryland
- Moderated by Scott Gottbreht, PhD, Assistant Secretary for Policy, Strategy, & Research, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
View the reports, presentations and event recording here:
- Presentation: Maryland Housing Needs Assessment 2025 Update
- Presentation: Housing and the Economy, MD Comptroller
- 2025 State Housing Needs Assessment, prepared by the National Center for Smart Growth for the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
- Housing & the Economy Report, the Comptroller of Maryland
- View the event recording on CSG’s Youtube channel
Press Release: CSG Commends Council’s Approval of the University Boulevard Corridor Plan
The Coalition for Smarter Growth thanks the Montgomery County Council for voting today to pass the University Boulevard Corridor Plan.
WIN! Montgomery County Council approves the University Blvd Corridor Plan
On Tuesday, December 9, the Montgomery County Council voted to approve the University Boulevard Corridor Plan by a vote of 7-3. The plan creates a strong framework for safer streets, a wider variety of housing options, a connected bike network, and new homes and retail near transit.