New rules will require more affordable housing in affluent areas, but also allow more exceptions.
Montgomery County has made the first major changes in years to its Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) program, which requires large developments to include affordable and workforce units. Since 1974, the program has created more than 5,400 MPDUs, according to Bethesda Magazine. But the affordability crisis has grown rapidly nationwide, and the program hasn't been revised or updated in more than a decade.
Now, county councilmembers have unanimously approved two bills that could substantially alter the MPDU program's impacts. The first, aiming to promote economic integration, raises the inclusionary requirement in certain affluent parts of the county from 12.5 to 15 percent.
At the same time, another bill makes it easier for developers to avoid the requirement altogether by paying an in-lieu fee, locating affordable units nearby instead of onsite, or coming to another arrangement with the county housing department. The same bill also requires developers of small-to-medium projects to pay into the county's Housing Initiative Fund. See Bethany Rodgers' coverage in Bethesda Magazine for more analysis.
FULL STORY: County’s Affordable Housing Program Is Getting Its First Major Update in More Than a Decade
Inclusionary Zoning to Fund Workforce Housing, But for Hotel Developments
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Analysis and policy recommendations from Bay Area-based think tank SPUR focuses on how poorly designed inclusionary zoning the exact opposite of the desired effect.
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San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule
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Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research