The Montgomery County Council is considering proposed legislation that aims to streamline the process of approval for some local affordable housing projects.
The bill, sponsored by council President Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) and councilmember Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) would eliminate a requirement in county law that the Housing Opportunities Commission [HOC] must issue a public notice in specific newspapers and hold its own public hearings before beginning work on new affordable housing developments.
The HOC is a quasi-governmental agency that operates as the county’s Public Housing Authority, according to its website. It is the largest owner and operator of affordable housing in the county.
The bill memorandum argues the commission already goes through a project approval process with Montgomery Planning that includes multiple opportunities for public review. The legislation aims to mirror a state bill that became law this year.
“The bill is in the spirit of streamlining affordable housing projects and reducing unnecessary regulatory and financial burdens,” Friedson said when introducing the proposed legislation last month.
Del. Julie Palakovich-Carr (D-Dist. 17), who represents Rockville and Gaithersburg and chairs the Montgomery County House delegation, sponsored the state bill and testified in support of the proposed county legislation during a public hearing Tuesday.
“I was very concerned when I saw that in state law dating back from 1957, we have put in place additional barriers for the Housing Opportunities Commission to create affordable housing in our community,” Palakovich-Carr said.
Palakovich-Carr said the commission already must hold two public hearings and an additional community meeting as part of the planning approval process like any housing developer must do. She argued that a fourth hearing, which the commission is currently required to hold in addition to the previous three, is an added barrier that commercial housing developers don’t face. The additional step makes it more difficult for the commission to move forward on affordable housing, she said.
“Having a fourth public hearing really is not adding anything to the process, besides slowing things down and adding additional expense to [the] creation of affordable housing,” she said.
Ken Silverman, vice president of government affairs for the Housing Opportunities Commission, said Tuesday that changing the law would help with the development of affordable housing by saving money and staff time, expediting the process.
“This does not exempt HOC from all of the requirements that would be in front of any other developer developing any other project,” Silverman said. “Unlike every other developer, HOC is also a public entity, and as such, our board would continue to be subject to the [state] Open Meetings Act. Our board meetings are open to the public, live-streamed and recorded.”
Palakovich-Carr and Silverman were the only speakers who participated in Tuesday’s public hearing. There was no opposing testimony.
The council’s Planning, Housing and Parks Committee is scheduled to discuss the proposed legislation Oct. 21. A vote has not been scheduled.
