For nine years, Baltimore County has been under pressure to create 1,000 affordable housing units to address decades of discrimination. The county says it has now reached that number, but there is still work to be done.
In 2016, Baltimore County signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to create 1,000 affordable apartments and homes to settle complaints that the county had violated the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Baltimore County Housing and Community Development Director Terry Hickey recently told the county council that they have cut a deal that puts them over the top. A Towson apartment building owner will make 147 of the units there qualify.
That brings the total number of approved units to 1,055.
However, Hickey says there is still plenty left to do.
“We have to have a certain amount of three bedrooms, a certain amount of very low income and a certain amount of accessible, particularly wheelchair accessible,” Hickey told the council. “So we’re going to overshoot our mark just to be sure that we’re covered no matter what.”
According to the agreement, all 1,000 units must be ready for leasing by the Spring of 2028. There are currently 652 leasable units with another 19 about to be made available.
In an email to WYPR, Hickey said further challenges remain to meet that mark.
Hickey wrote, “This is particularly true of new construction projects, which face market volatility and a number of other factors outside of the County’s control that could impact their ability to be constructed and leased in the timeframe set.”
Also included in the county’s 1,055 units is the controversial Red Maple Place project in East Towson.
The county council in June decided not to give Red Maple’s developer a second loan, which put the future of the project up in the air. 50 units in Red Maple would go towards the county meeting its agreement with HUD.
“The State DHCD (Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development) and the developer have not confirmed whether or not the project will move forward,” Hickey said.
A spokesperson for the Red Maple development confirmed that no decision has been made.
The agreement the county reached with the Towson apartment building owner is one example of how it is going about creating affordable housing units.
TowsonTown Place is receiving a $2.8 million loan from the county. It also gets a tax break. For 20 years, it does not have to pay property taxes. It will make a reduced annual payment to the county instead.
Council Chairman Mike Ertel, a Democrat, said he’s looking forward to the county satisfying its agreement with HUD so it can be more flexible going forward.
“It’s something that’s been a worry for a long time because we have to provide affordable housing,” Ertel said. “We look forward, I think, to a new chapter in that we can turn our attention to some projects for seniors and maybe some more home ownership.”
