For Immediate Release: Tuesday, March 28, 2023
Opening Pathways of Economic Necessity (O.P.E.N.) Zoning Text Amendment would reduce approval process by 75 percent for qualified multifamily affordable housing projects
Councilmembers Laurie-Anne Sayles and Andrew Friedson introduced zoning changes through Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 23-02 and Subdivision Regulation Amendment (SRA) 23-01 to expedite Montgomery County’s site plan approval times by approximately 75 percent for new, mixed-use affordable housing projects. The O.P.E.N. ZTA is modeled after ZTA 21-09, authored by Council Vice President Friedson, that dramatically accelerated the regulatory review process for new biohealth priority campuses to help promote Montgomery County’s national leadership in life sciences. The O.P.E.N. ZTA builds off this innovative concept by allowing the same expedited timeline for affordable housing projects that meet certain criteria.
The current time it takes from development plans being submitted, to groundbreaking, is approximately two years. Additionally, the Housing Choice Voucher waitlist currently has 27,442 applicants, and the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County (HOC) is selecting applicants who applied in 2017.
“This ZTA is a groundbreaking measure that lets renters and builders know that we hear you and are O.P.E.N. to residents seeking complete, affordable communities. It aligns with my S.M.A.R.T. agenda of making a living in our county more affordable, and it creates a vision for all individuals to live in diverse communities primed for success,” said Councilmember Sayles. “I could not be more excited to partner with Councilmember Friedson on this initiative that will open up pathways of economic necessity for people looking to thrive in our county.”
“We have an affordable housing crisis in Montgomery County that can’t be solved without accelerating the production of housing in the county,” said Council Vice President and Planning, Housing and Parks Committee Chair Friedson. “We need to employ every tool in our toolkit to do this. ZTA 23-02 will green-tape affordable housing projects to move us to closer to our local and regional goals.”
The new O.P.E.N. ZTA provides an expedited review process for mixed-use projects that include 50 percent Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs) or 35 percent affordable units, with 15 percent of these units being deeply affordable. By encouraging affordable housing in mixed-use development projects and eliminating parking minimums in transit-oriented areas, this measure will help advance Montgomery County’s economic, equity and environmental priorities.
View the Council's staff report here.
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Release ID: 23-116