Despite pushback from Mayor Brandon Scott’s office, a suite of bills designed to make housing more affordable for Baltimoreans advanced one step closer to becoming law.

The inclusionary housing bill was first introduced in February 2022 and has faced repeated delays. That bill essentially requires development projects of a certain size to set aside units reserved for people making below the area median-income. The other bill, introduced in spring of this year, is a tax credit that developers can apply for to compensate for the costs of those more affordable units.

The Scott administration urged lawmakers to pause on the bills, citing concerns about the city’s finances. Baltimore faces a $100 million budget deficit for the next fiscal year, according to city Budget Director Robert Cenname. He urged for a “sunset” on the bills that would essentially pause them after a set date in order to allow the city to assess their efficacy.

The bills’ sponsor Councilmember Odette Ramos of District 14 accused Deputy Mayor Justin Williams of bringing forward concerns that were already settled and addressed during months of negotiations

“You were not in any of the negotiating meetings. None. Zero. So having this memo come from the mayor’s office from you, I'm just appalled,” said Ramos in a fiery exchange with Williams.

These bills aim to succeed whereas past inclusionary housing efforts have not. In 2007, the city had an inclusionary housing bill that ultimately only produced 37 units.

"In the time frame of 17 years which inclusionary housing has been in the city of Baltimore . . . only 37 units have been created, which is shameful," said Council President Nick Mosby during Tuesday night’s hearing.

Ramos pointed out that unlike in the last piece of legislation, developers would not be able to apply for waivers to get out of the inclusionary housing requirement.