County Council: Eased Rules for Accessory Apartments, Disabled Hiring Bill Passes and More

Notable outcomes include eased regulations for accessory apartments, passing of the disabled hiring bill and evaluation of potential affordable housing locations.

The Montgomery County Council met Tuesday, Feb. 5. Notable outcomes from the meeting include: County Eases Rules for Accessory Apartments The Montgomery County Council passed a zoning amendment and bill Tuesday that will make it easier for homeowners to add an accessory apartment to a single-family home, The Washington Examiner reported. After almost 10 years of policy discussion, homeowners who want to add a small apartment for an aging parent, a caretaker or a renter can now do so in 90 to 110 days, versus a process that previously took a minimum of five to six months, The Washington Post reported. Residents opposed to the change were concerned it might lead to overcrowding of neighborhood schools, according to The Washington Post, but "…

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Montgomery County Council Challenged with Improving Affordable Housing

Ervin: ‘We’re turning on a faucet and only letting some drops drip out of the faucet, and then we’re pretending like that’s good enough.’

  Officials, advocates and the community at large need to shed outdated ideas about the long-hailed strength of Montgomery’s affordable housing programs, councilmembers say, and come up with concrete plans that work effectively. More than a year in the making, the Department of Housing and Community Affairs has drafted a 100-page housing policy—the first update since 2001—that puts a priority on: Councilmembers want to make sure the county does not rest on the laurels of decades past, when initiatives like the MPDU program LINK made Montgomery a pioneer in affordable housing. “Before we start patting ourselves on the back and congratulating ourselves for all the wonderful things we’ve done, we still have to recognize that Montgomery County…

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SPEAK OUT: Is Rockville Creating an ‘Enclave’ of Public Housing?

Mayor and councilman offer contrasting views of Rockville Housing Enterprises’ proposed purchase of the Fireside Park Apartments.

  The Rockville City Council’s 3-2 vote last week to put city money toward Rockville Housing Enterprises’ proposed purchase of the Fireside Park Apartments creates a problem, Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio said in an interview with Rockville Patch.  The council had “such a drive to do this without all the risks really considered,” said Marcuccio, who joined Councilwoman Bridget Donnell Newton in voting against the deal. “One of the risks is to put all this public housing into an area—you’re going to have an enclave.” The approval allows Rockville Housing Enterprises, which administers public housing in Rockville, to proceed with the $37.5 million purchase of the 236-unit garden-style Fireside Park Apartments at 735 Monroe St. Supporters said it …

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Rockville’s Divide Over Fireside Park

The mayor and Moore on whether the deal with RHE was right for Rockville.

The Rockville City Council’s split decision Monday to approve a $2 million package of loans and grants for Rockville Housing Enterprises’ proposed purchase of the Fireside Park Apartments was lamented by the mayor who said the complex would be better off in private hands and lauded by a council member who said the deal allows the city government to fulfill an important role of providing affordable housing. The council approved the plan on a 3-2 vote, with Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio and Councilwoman Bridget Donnell Newton voting against it. The approval allows RHE, which administers public housing in Rockville, to proceed with the $37.5 million purchase of the 236-unit garden-style Fireside Park complex at 735 Monroe St. Marcuccio lamented the…

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Rockville City Council to Talk Fireside Park Purchase

Council to weigh RHE and private proposals against city's affordable housing needs.

  Having heard from potential purchasers and the public, Rockville officials are scheduled on Monday to discuss a proposed purchase of the Fireside Park Apartments by Rockville Housing Enterprises. “I’d like to have some real details,” Rockville Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio said of the proposal in an interview with Rockville Patch on Friday. Those details should come at Monday’s Rockville City Council meeting. Richard Nelson, director of Montgomery County's Department of Housing and Community Affairs, is scheduled to brief the council on the county’s rental housing market. City staff also is scheduled to brief the council on the availability of affordable housing in Rockville, on the city’s affordable housing policy and on the status of RHE’s …

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Private Buyer Makes Pitch to Purchase Fireside Park Apartments

Priderock Capital Partners outlined its plan to the Rockville City Council on Monday.

Rockville City Council to Hold Hearing on Fireside Park Financing

Rockville Housing Enterprises is asking for $2 million in city aid toward the purchase of the mixed-income apartment community.

A request for public financing to support the purchase of the Fireside Park Apartments will be the subject of a public hearing during Monday’s Rockville City Council meeting.  The council will meet at 7 p.m. at City Hall. The meeting’s full agenda has not yet been released. Rockville Housing Enterprises, which administers public housing in Rockville, has asked the city to commit $2 million toward the $36 million purchase of the 236-unit garden-style Fireside Park complex at 735 Monroe St. The complex, which was built in 1961 and provides mixed-income rental housing, went on the market in April. A Florida-based company has made an offer for the property, but RHE is pursuing the purchase under the county’s right of first refusal, which gives…

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Renters in Montgomery County Seek Greater Rights

As more residents rent, the Renters Alliance wants protection from no-cause evictions, landlord intimidation and 'unreasonable' rent increases.

  A growing number of people are choosing to rent rather than buy homes in Montgomery County. Matt Losak, executive director of the Montgomery County Renters Alliance, says more than 25 percent of the county rents—with about 70 percent of those renters living in greater Silver Spring and Wheaton.  There are many reasons why. Some renters don’t want to be burdened with high taxes or home maintenance while seniors and immigrants are more often choosing rentals, Losak said. Rockville rental numbers In Rockville, land is an issue. The city is expected to grow “by just over 21,000 by 2040,”according to a publication on housing trends published by the City of Rockville in June. “Because of the shortage of land within or immediately outside of …

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Rockville City Council to Consider Financing Fireside Park Purchase

Rockville Housing Enterprises is pursuing the $36 million purchase for affordable housing.

  Fireside Park Apartments is unlikely to continue to provide much-needed affordable housing if the city can’t commit $2 million towards its purchase, the director of the public housing agency seeking to buy the Rockville apartment complex told city residents and officials last week.  The Rockville City Council is scheduled on Monday to discuss the proposed purchase of the property by Rockville Housing Enterprises. Residents at a meeting of the city’s Town Center Action Team on Tuesday asked RHE Executive Director Ruth O’Sullivan why RHE would seek to purchase the property for $36 million when it was most recently assessed for $22 million and when it already provides a mix of affordable housing units. “Because it’s a new buyer and it’s …

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Sean R. Sedam

2:20 pm on Thursday, September 27, 2012

Good perspective and a good point, Lauren. From HUD: http://www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/affordablehousing/ "The generally accepted definition of affordability is for a household to pay no more than 30 percent of its annual income on housing." Ruth O'Sullivan was using area median income in discussing housing affordability. "The term 'affordable housing' is generally considered any housing that is …   more ›

Construction of Victory Court Apartments Underway in Rockville Town Center

Controversial project will provide needed affordable senior housing.

  After years of controversy and a court case, Victory Housing Inc. welcomed a new phase for its senior housing project in Rockville Town Center on Tuesday: Construction.  Victory Court will bring 86 units—including 65 with rents below market rate—to 74 Maryland Ave. They will be available to people 62 and older. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, acknowledged the controversy over the project during a groundbreaking ceremony under a tent sheltering attendees from the wind and rain. Participants included elected officials, housing advocates and community members. “Today is a reminder [that] storms come and they go. At end of the storm will be the beautiful day surrounding this building,” Wuerl said. Victory Housing is the …

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amarynth

1:35 pm on Thursday, September 20, 2012

It's my understanding that the same is also true of the Choice Hotels building and the new police headquarters.   more ›