Houses of worship and other private educational institutions will be allowed to build apartments and multi-unit housing on their land under a zoning amendment approved unanimously Tuesday by the Montgomery County Council.
The Facilitating Affordable Inclusive Transformational Housing (FAITH) Zoning Text Amendment aims to increase the supply of affordable housing in the county. It was sponsored by council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) and Vice President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4).
Under current county zoning laws, multi-unit living is not permitted in non-residential zones. The amendment changes that for qualifying institutions, such as houses of worship. Such institutions will be allowed to build housing on their land but will still be required to follow county affordability guidelines, with at least 30% to 50% of units being designated as “affordable dwelling units” under county government rent standards.
“We can’t solve this with one tool … . We have to bring together and leverage every resource and every institution and organization in our community in order to be able to address these issues,” Stewart said about the lack of affordable housing in the county. “Partnering with faith-based and private educational institutions will unleash untapped resources and surplus land that we otherwise wouldn’t be able to access.”
The “YIGBY” movement, which stands for “Yes In God’s Backyard,” has picked up steam across the country as houses of worship advocate for the right to build affordable housing on their properties. In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in November signed a bill into law that allowed religious congregations [AO1] in that state to develop housing on their land, regardless of local zoning codes, Axios reported.
Supporters of the council bill who testified at a public hearing in February ranged from local renters and clergy members to representatives from organizations such as AARP and Habitat for Humanity.
“When I was 8 years old, we had toxic black mold in the house, rendering it unsafe,” Rev. William Green of Silver Spring United Methodist Church told the council during the February hearing. “My single mother and I were homeless … and our temporary shelter constantly moved. It took its toll on our mental, physical and financial health.”
Green said his church serves more than 3,000 community members a week through recovery programs, mental health support, a food pantry and other outreach, and he wants to help provide stable housing to people who can’t afford the area’s high real estate prices.
The zoning amendment approved Tuesday is expected to make it easier for churches like Green’s to use their land for the purpose of housing instead of having to go through individual zoning change processes that can be lengthy and cumbersome, according to the bill’s sponsors.
