County Council to discuss attainable housing proposal

Plus: Proposed legislation would strengthen protections for undocumented immigrants who are victims of violent crime

November 18, 2024 4:35 p.m.

The Montgomery County Council is set to discuss the Planning Board’s attainable housing proposal and introduce legislation that would strengthen protections for undocumented immigrants who are victims of violent crime during this week’s session.

The council will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Stella Werner Council Office Building in Rockville for its regular weekly business meeting. Here’s what to expect:

Attainable housing discussion

The council will discuss the Planning Board’s attainable housing proposal as well as community member feedback on the proposed zoning initiative. If approved, it would allow duplexes, triplexes and smaller apartment buildings to be built in single-family home neighborhoods across Montgomery County. The proposal has sparked heated debate among public officials and community members.

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Hundreds of community members attended the council’s series of listening sessions on the proposed changes in September in October.

Drafted by county planners, the Attainable Housing Strategies initiative outlines recommendations to the council for zoning changes in some single-family home zones in targeted areas of the county. 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.

County Executive Marc Elrich is among the critics of the initiative, saying it will not fix the county’s affordable housing crisis.

“There’s plenty of million-dollar townhouses in neighborhoods, particularly in new developments now. So it has nothing to do with affordable housing,” Elrich said at an Oct. 10 press briefing.

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The Montgomery County Planning Board approved the initiative in June, sending it to the council. However, the council has not developed proposed legislation regarding the initiative nor set a timeline for a vote.

Protections for undocumented immigrants who are victims of violent crime

Seven councilmembers will introduce a bill Tuesday that, if passed, would strengthen protections for undocumented immigrants who are victims of violent crime.

The U visa Law Enforcement Certification Policy, or the Uplifting Victims and Immigrant Safety (U V.I.S.A) Act, is sponsored by councilmembers Evan Glass (D-At-large), Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) and Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7). It’s co-sponsored by council Vice President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) and councilmembers Gabe Albornoz (D-At-large), Marilyn Balcombe (D-Dist. 2) and Sidney Katz (D-Dist. 3).

The U visa grants legal status to victims of violent crimes — such as sexual assault, human trafficking and domestic violence — who assist law enforcement with the investigation of these crimes. While federal and state law have no statute of limitation for U visa eligibility, Montgomery County has a 10-year cap on assisting crime victims in its U visa application process. The proposed legislation would remove that cap, according to the council agenda.

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Briefing on Incentive Zoning Update

The council will receive a briefing from Planning Board officials on the Incentive Zoning Update. The Planning Board recently completed a study on the Incentive Zoning system, which is used to evaluate new development and determine to what extent a development project must provide corresponding public amenities, according to the agenda packet.

The study makes recommendations for updates that reflect recently passed county policies and initiatives, including the Thrive Montgomery 2050 plan, the Climate Action Plan and the Racial Equity and Social Justice law.

Currently, the system allows applicants to build to higher densities in locations near public transit if the project is deemed to provide a public benefit.

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