Tag: more housing now

Testimony: SRA 25-02 — No more barriers to new homes on corridors (MoCo)

Posted on by Elena Sorokina

September 15, 2025
Montgomery County Council
100 Maryland Ave
Rockville, MD 20850

Re: Support for SRA 25-02

Dear Council President Stewart and Councilmembers:

Thank you for accepting this testimony on behalf of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. CSG advocates for walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities as the most sustainable and equitable way for the Washington, DC region to grow and provide opportunities for all.

I write to you to share our support for SRA 25-02, and to urge you not to further limit lot consolidation or add additional barriers to the review and approval of new homes under ZTA 25-02 and SRA 25-02.

The guidelines provided for in SRA 25-02 align with those put forward for public consideration during the passage of ZTA 25-02, and are thoughtfully informed by the Council’s discussions with and feedback from community members both for and against the More Housing N.O.W. package.

Lot consolidation can provide needed flexibility in site layout to preserve mature trees, meet stormwater requirements, and provide for more homes than may be possible if each lot were developed separately.

As Planning staff shared (see starting at page 220) during the Council’s worksessions on ZTA 25-02, limiting lot consolidation will severely limit the number of homes that can feasibly be built under this ZTA by making it impossible to meet stormwater management, parking, and site coverage requirements on certain sites. In the R-60 zone, for example, a single standard-sized lot can only feasibly accommodate a duplex, whereas two- and three-lot consolidation could allow for four to seven townhomes or eight apartments with significantly more greenspace and workforce income-restricted units.

Please do not create additional obstacles to building the new homes we need near transit, jobs, and amenities by further limiting lot consolidation or requiring additional layers of review above what was agreed upon during the Council’s consideration and passage of ZTA 25-02.

Sincerely,
Carrie Kisicki
Montgomery County Advocacy Manager, Coalition for Smarter Growth

Big win in Montgomery County! Council allows more multi-family homes on county corridors 

Big win in Montgomery County! Council allows more multi-family homes on county corridors 

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

Yesterday, the Montgomery County Council voted 8-3 to pass Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 25-02. The legislation will allow more housing types, like townhouses or small apartment buildings, along major corridors, creating more homes near jobs and amenities.

CSG in the News: In raucous session, County Council votes 8-3 to approve controversial housing zoning change

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

July 23, 2025 | Ginny Bixby | Bethesda Today

The Coalition for Smarter Growth released a statement prior to Tuesday’s vote voicing support for the zoning change. The nonprofit advocates for “walkable, bikeable, inclusive, and transit-oriented communities” in the Washington, D.C. area, according to its website.

“By making it easier to build more duplexes, triplexes, and small apartments near transit and jobs, [the] ZTA is an important step toward more sustainable housing options in Montgomery County,” the statement said. “Measures like this that take on the structural problems feeding our housing shortage are a necessary step to achieve our shared vision of a sustainable, inclusive county for all.”

Read the full story here.

CSG in the News: Elrich vows to push back on approved More Housing N.O.W. legislation

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

“Every new home helps, but the Council must also adopt the other tools in the package to meet our county’s great housing need. Most important is the approach reflected by [the ZTA] —making it much easier to build duplexes, triplexes, and small apartments near transit and jobs,” Carrie Kisicki, Montgomery advocacy manager for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, wrote in an email statement to Bethesda Today.

Written Recommendations: MoCo’s More Housing N.O.W. Package

Written Recommendations: MoCo’s More Housing N.O.W. Package

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

Montgomery County has a strong record of supporting subsidized affordable housing, including making historic commitments to funding for affordable housing these past few years.

We have not been innovators in the same way in making sure our county has homes that are affordable to our middle class, young people, older adults looking to downsize, and others who do not qualify for affordable housing—yet are increasingly unable to find market-rate homes they can afford amongst our limited housing options.

CSG in the News: MoCo residents polarized over proposed workforce housing legislation

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

March 11, 2025 | Ginny Bixby | Bethesda Magazine

Supporters who spoke at the hearing in general praised the legislative package’s aim to increase the county’s housing supply and create realistic homeownership opportunities for more county residents.

“It’s a plain and simple fact that our county needs more housing,” said Carrie Kisicki, Montgomery advocacy manager for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, a Washington, D.C. metro region nonprofit focused on housing affordability and transit access. “People want housing that they can afford, and they do not want to have to spend their lives sitting in traffic just to get to work.”

Read the full story here.

In-Person Testimony: MoCo More Housing N.O.W. Package

In-Person Testimony: MoCo More Housing N.O.W. Package

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

It is a plain and simple fact that our county needs more housing. People want housing that they can afford, and they do not want to have to spend their lives sitting in traffic just to get to work. 

Nothing demonstrates the strong support for these simple ideas more than the broad, diverse coalition that showed up in support of the announcement of the More Housing N.O.W. package.

RELEASE: CSG and Montgomery for All support the More Housing N.O.W. Package

RELEASE: CSG and Montgomery for All support the More Housing N.O.W. Package

Posted on by Carrie Kisicki

The Coalition for Smarter Growth and Montgomery for All are proud to support the More Housing N.O.W. package to increase housing options in sustainable locations and support our workforce and first-time homebuyers. Building more housing along our corridors, a central piece of this package, will help more people afford homes in Montgomery County and live close to jobs, transit, and amenities.