The Montgomery County government wants to hear from the public on proposed attainable housing strategies before taking action and is providing community members with six opportunities in the coming weeks to share their views and ask questions.
The Planning Board’s Attainable Housing Strategies initiative outlines recommendations to the County Council for zoning changes in single-family home zones. The changes, which the council would have to approve, aim to provide more housing options and opportunities, especially for middle-income residents, according to Planning Director Jason Sartori.
The council will soon be faced with a decision on the proposal which, if passed, would allow duplexes, triplexes and smaller apartment buildings to be built in single-family home neighborhoods. However, the council hasn’t set dates for decisions yet.
The listening sessions are intended to gather public feedback on the Planning Board recommendations that will be submitted to the council, according to a Montgomery Planning news release. The meetings will be co-hosted by Sartori and council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1).
The sessions will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. on:
- Sept. 11 at the Silver Spring Recreation and Aquatic Center, 1319 Apple Ave., Silver Spring;
- Sept. 12 at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center, 11701 Georgia Ave., Wheaton;
- Sept. 17 at the White Oak Community Recreation Center, 1700 April Lane, Silver Spring;
- Sept. 23 at the Germantown Community Center, 18905 Kingsview Road, Germantown; and
- Sept. 25 at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda.
A sixth online session will be held via Zoom from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 2.
In recent years, the county has seen a decline in its population of middle-income earners and increases in its low- and high-income populations, indicating a lack of suitable housing options that are affordable or attainable, according to Sartori.
According to Montgomery Planning data, the county lost more than 26,000 middle-income residents from 2005 to 2022, while gaining nearly 88,000 low-income residents and 67,000 high-income residents in the same timeframe.
In the county, middle income is defined as a family of four earning an income three to five times the poverty level, according to the planning department. The 2024 poverty level is $31,200 for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Low-income families in the county earn less than three times the poverty level and high-income families earn five or more times the poverty level.
Regionally, efforts to create similar “missing middle” housing regulations have been controversial. The board of supervisors in Arlington County, Virginia, voted in March 2023 to end single-family-only zoning, facing both praise and criticism from residents and resulting in a lawsuit.
WAMU reported that trial arguments began in July after nine Arlington homeowners filed a lawsuit against the county over its new zoning policy, arguing the county made the decision without conducting an appropriate study on the potential impacts on communities.
In nearby Alexandria, Virginia, a group of homeowners sued the city over a decision to end single-family zoning. While city officials attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed, a judge ruled last month that it can move forward to trial, The Washington Post reported.
Friedson said he is not worried about such a situation occurring in Montgomery County.
“Lawsuits are not something that I’m thinking about or focused on,” he said during a July press briefing. “Policy is what I’m thinking about and focused on, and a housing crisis that we do have to address.”