Builders Would Have To Include Some Units
By Elahe Izadi
Gazette Staff Writer
Thursday, December 13, 2007
In response to resident requests for more moderately priced homes, the Laurel City Council is considering requiring builders to include affordable units in their developments.
Under a proposal submitted by Mayor Craig Moe during a work session last week, any new development of more than 50 units would have to include a number of price-controlled homes and rentals, called moderately priced dwelling units. The units would be located throughout a development and made available to eligible residents through the city government.
The proposal closely mirrors a Rockville affordable housing policy, said Bob Manzi, the Laurel city attorney who helped draft the plan. In Rockville, such units cost $85,000 to $120,000 and are available to households with incomes from $22,000 to $61,260. Rentals cost from $827 to $1,181 per month.
Laurel officials would have to determine which home prices would qualify as moderate and the corresponding income brackets.
According to the proposal, the less expensive units would be indistinguishable from the outside. Developers would be encouraged to use cost-saving measures and cut back on amenities within the units to reduce their price.
The city would offer a density credit, which would let the developer build more units than allowed. A developer could build up to 10 percent more units if 6 percent of the units were moderately priced.
A developer also could apply for certain exemptions, such as offering to contribute to a fund for moderately priced units or proposing to build such units in other parts of the city.
In the 1980s, Manzi helped draft a moderately priced housing resolution for Prince George's County. But the county requirements were abolished in 1996 when the County Council approved a comprehensive growth plan that encouraged development.
As the only municipality in Prince George's with zoning authority, Laurel could implement such a measure within its municipal boundaries. In addition to Rockville, Montgomery County and the cities of Annapolis and Baltimore require developers to build affordable housing units.
Moe asked Manzi to draft the resolution in response to resident requests, Manzi said. A council vote will follow council review and public input.
Many council members agree that many potential homebuyers and renters are priced out of the housing market, council President Frederick Smalls (Ward 2) said.
"So making some allowances is definitely a step in the right direction," he said.
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