The Montgomery County Council’s Planning, Housing and Parks Committee voted 2-1 on Monday to advance proposed legislation that would increase the amount of housing allowed in certain zones along the county’s transit corridors.
Committee and councilmembers Andrew Friedson (D-Dist. 1) and Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6), who sponsored the proposed zoning text amendment (ZTA) voted in favor of advancing it on Monday, with Will Jawando (D-At-large) dissenting. A frequent talking point among committee members Monday regarded confusion among both residents and elected officials about what the proposed zoning change would actually do and what neighborhoods it would affect.
The bill will now move to the full council to be scheduled for a vote. At least six of the 11 councilmembers will need to approve the legislation before it can become law.
The legislation is part of the More Housing N.O.W. (New Options for Workers) legislative package proposed by Friedson and Fani-González. The package aims to allow more residential building types – including duplexes, triplexes, townhomes and apartments – along the county’s transit corridors, with a requirement that 15% of a project’s proposed housing serve the local workforce.
The goal of the legislative package is to increase access to more affordable workforce housing through two zoning text amendments, including the one reviewed Monday. The other, approved by the council in March, expedites the process for converting office and commercial buildings to residences.
The package also includes legislation allowing tax breaks for some developers that create workforce housing units. This legislation was passed in March and later vetoed by County Executive Marc Elrich, who has argued against the legislative package. The council voted to overturn Elrich’s veto.
The council initially voted 10-1 to approve the tax break legislation after unanimously passing a proposed zoning text amendment (ZTA) that would expedite the process for converting office and other commercial buildings to residential housing. The legislation establishes a property tax break program for any residential development approved under the conversion ZTA that fulfills the requirement of providing 17.5% or more moderately priced units at 60% of the county’s area median income (AMI). The AMI is defined as the midpoint of a specific area’s income distribution.
Jawando, who is running for county executive in the 2026 Democratic primary, dissented in that vote as well. He and Elrich, who will be leaving office due to term limits, have both been critical of the tax break legislation, saying it is not focused on affordable housing and caters to developers.
Confusion over proposed ZTA
Monday’s committee session was primarily focused on technical changes to the proposed zoning text amendment pertaining to housing in transit corridors, but Jawando still shared multiple concerns. He noted there was some confusion among councilmembers and residents over what parts of the county would be included in the zones that could face increased density.
“There have been some discrepancies between the defined terms, and what is actually shown on the map,” Jawando said. “When I tried to drill down which parcels are applicable … I had to ask several more questions.”
Friedson, who is also running for county executive, said Monday it was important to make sure the locations that would be subjected to the potential zoning change are correctly codified to ensure the goal of the legislation can be achieved, and supported clarifying amendments.
“This is a way to codify what the intent is … and stay true to what we want this to be,” Friedson said. “Lack of clarity is concerning to folks, understandably … we need to be transparent and say exactly what is allowed and what isn’t allowed.”
Fani-González voiced frustration with what she sees as a misconception by some members of the community that certain existing housing is protected and couldn’t be replaced with more expensive homes.
“Let’s please stop pretending that the homes that we have today that are cheaper than ones inside [certain] neighborhoods are untouchable,” she said. “Anyone today can buy any property and build a megahome … let’s stop with the lies.”
According to Friedson and Fani-González, the More Housing N.O.W. legislative package was inspired by public conversations concerning the highly controversial Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative proposed by the county Planning Board in 2024, but not based on that proposal. The Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative outlines recommendations to the council for zoning changes to allow more housing options in some single-family home zones in targeted areas of the county. This initiative is not considered legislation. Rather, it is considered a report that councilmembers could use to help inform future legislation and zoning proposals at any time.
The More Housing N.O.W. legislative package has also been controversial among community members, with supporters praising its aim to increase the county’s housing supply and critics voicing concerns that more development would encroach on existing neighborhoods.
If the council were to approve the proposed zoning text amendment, the bill would not be subject to a veto by Elrich because the county executive does not have the authority to do so.
Friedson and Jawando are leading candidates in the 2026 race for county executive, alongside councilmember Evan Glass (D-At-large). Friedson’s involvement in the housing proposals has become a talking point in the race, with him using it as a talking point supporting his commitment to build more housing for residents of a variety of incomes, while Jawando has criticized Friedson for taking money from developers and accused him of not focusing on residents’ interests.
A vote on the ZTA has not yet been scheduled.
