Though no final recommendations have been made yet, the Charles County Affordable Housing Workgroup shared its progress at the Aug. 19 meeting of the county’s planning commission.
“This is sort of a transitory stop on the long journey that is an affordable housing plan for Charles County,” Joel Binkley, a planning supervisor for the county, said. “The goal of the affordable housing task force, or workgroup, if you will, was to develop a comprehensive affordable housing strategy to increase the availability of affordable housing.”
The workgroup’s end goal is to provide information to the planning commission so that recommendations can be made to the county commissioners.
The plan set forth by the workgroup aims to set realistic targets and goals and incorporate short-, mid- and long-range recommendations to ensure attainable action.
An initial aim for the group was to have the plan in place by last May, but Binkley said that deadline came and went due to “some turnover.” The workgroup now hopes to have a plan to the commissioners before the end of the year.
A timeline showcased in Binkley’s presentation would start public engagement efforts on the plan this fall.
The affordable housing goal says that “25% of new residential housing units, both rental and mortgage-based, will fall into the three affordable tiers by the year 2033. In addition, a five-year work plan will be devised and updated annually by the planning commission. The work plan will include specifics of implementation of the affordable housing strategy to include both regulatory changes, developer incentives and housing programs.”
Affordable housing is defined as housing on which the occupant is paying no more than 30% of gross income for housing costs, including utilities. Gross median household income will be defined by Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development’s annual Income and Rent Limits report, the presentation said.
Tenants’ rights tools preserve existing affordable housing and housing stability by using laws and regulations that protect current occupants, the presentation said.
The presentation included input and comments from residents on affordable housing, with one unattributed comment suggesting a ban on AirBnB vacation rentals in the county, as they believe that properties are being “snapped up for rental income,” driving the price of remaining houses up.
Another unidentified resident said, “Charles County is inhospitable to low-income residents who work local jobs.”
Within the next two years, the workgroup seeks to create zoning changes to permit smaller homes, housing variety and increase densities in targeted locations.
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