ANNAPOLIS — Gov. Wes Moore on Thursday signed into law his administration’s plan for tackling Maryland’s housing crisis, an issue plaguing cities and states nationwide.
America is short millions of housing units, experts say, with different organizations and studies publishing varying estimates. State and local officials have pushed to shed bureaucracy and make the building process less expensive by, among other measures, amending zoning policies to update where different types of housing are allowed.
Moore has repeatedly conveyed the urgent need for policy intervention in Maryland, and this past session the governor proposed what he called “the most aggressive housing package” in the state’s history.
During a bill-signing ceremony Thursday at the State House, Moore emphasized his administration’s timeliness, saying the state could wait no longer for policies to build a stronger housing market, cut into the state’s shortage of 96,000 units and reduce median home prices to provide young people with reasons to remain in Maryland — a state where three in 10 young people are considering leaving because of housing costs.
The percentage of young people considering moving from Maryland is a statistic Moore said “literally keeps me up at night.
“We made the choice to put housing front and center because we knew this was an issue that could not wait,” he said before signing the bills.
While the governor received broad public support, top Democrats in the state legislature removed one of the most aggressive parts of the his approach after county and municipal officials contended it went too far in limiting local control over projects that receive state funding.
The policy would have prevented local governments from using their adequate public facilities ordinances — meant to ensure that services like schools, emergency services, roads and water can keep pace with growth — to deny permits or impose unreasonable restrictions on state affordable housing projects.
Democrats maintained that the broader bill — meant to incentivize housing with affordable units in nonprofit projects, on historic state-owned land and near rail stations — was still a major step forward for affordable housing, and Moore has said he viewed the change as a result of collaboration with local officials.
Supporters of the administration’s approach say it will incentivize the construction of affordable housing, protect renters by increasing certain court fees and establishing a tenant’s right of first refusal, and improve Maryland’s competitiveness for federal funding through the formation of a state community investment corporation.
The state will allow developers to build denser housing projects, and do so more quickly, if they include a certain percentage of affordable units.
Landlords will not be allowed to charge more than one month’s rent for security deposits, the state will have an Office of Tenant Rights. Additionally, providing tenants with the chance to buy their residence through a right of first refusal would also offer an avenue to affordable homeownership, supporters have said.
Through the Maryland Community Investment Corp., administration officials say, the state will have a competitive edge for tens of millions of dollars in federal funding to invest in low-income communities and local development projects, including tearing down vacant properties and building new units.
It remains to be seen what impact Moore’s policies will have on Maryland’s housing crisis, and county and municipal officials will play a major role in determining which housing developments progress, and where, especially considering their control over adequate public facilities laws.
Moore on Thursday said the policies are also essential to combating housing insecurity, the No. 1 driver of poverty in Maryland. Since his time on the campaign trail, tackling the root causes of poverty has been among Moore’s guiding policy motives.
“If you’re going to be serious about addressing the issue of poverty,” Moore said, “you must be serious about addressing the issue of housing.”