By Gary Bennett
For years now, County policymakers and citizens have debated how best to address a housing affordability problem that looks us square in the eye every day. Our friends, neighbors, parents, children, and in many cases, us, are hampered by the high cost of housing.
This problem has many causes and did not happen overnight. One thing is painfully clear: if we don’t take concrete steps to solve the problem, families are going to continue to struggle and not enjoy a secure way of life that other generations took for granted. Consequently, cities and counties will struggle, too.
There are only two solutions to our housing problem: (1) Wages and salaries must increase exponentially to allow for the comfortable covering of rents and mortgages or (2) enough housing – and the right types of housing – must be built to satisfy demand and help drive down prices.
For Frederick County, help on the second front has arrived in the form of a comprehensive, year-long study of the housing affordability issue and accompanying roadmap to help solve it. The study provides actionable steps and case studies and best practices to drive home the points.
On February 19, 2026, County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor released the results of the county’s comprehensive Housing Needs Assessment and Affordable Housing Strategic Plan (hereafter known as the “study”). The release of this study achieves the goal of updating the housing needs assessment that was last completed in 2016 and develops a strategic plan for creating more affordable housing opportunities for our residents.
SCOPE OF PROBLEM
The last housing needs assessment was completed and released in 2016. During the ensuing years, Frederick County has experienced a seismic shift in its housing needs and available housing units.
For example, the 2016 study reported that about 11,000 new affordable homes were needed for county households earning under $75,000 per year. Today, the number of new affordable homes needed to serve those households is around 20,000. This figure represents nearly one in five households in our community. (The $75,000 income level was selected because it is a level well below the median income for Frederick County residents and is representative of households that are most susceptible to economic hardship.) And when you project forward over all income levels, the housing need rises to about 32,000 by 2035.
The study makes clear what many of us have felt and seen for years: there is a sizable housing gap in our community and many people at the low to moderate income levels are struggling. Simply put, they need a more affordable place to live. With completion of the study, policymakers no longer must guess at the size and scope of the problem. They have the data they need at their disposal.
POTENTIAL FIXES
While the 2016 study made some general recommendations on how to best fill the housing gap, the 2026 study provides a comprehensive strategic plan that recommends a multi-layered approach to help solve it.
The 2026 study has five goals and recommends 26 specific strategies to achieve the goals.
Goal 1: Activate a comprehensive development strategy. This includes strategies to:
- Increase support for transit-oriented and mixed-use developments
- Increase use of county-owned land for affordable housing
- Adjust the MPDU ordinance to require that units actually get built while continuing significant contributions to the Housing Initiative Fund
- Loosen infrastructure requirements for affordable multifamily developments
- Facilitate faith-based affordable housing projects
Goal 2: expand and maximize the county’s financial ability to support affordable housing. This includes strategies to:
- Set spending priorities of the Housing Initiative Fund to better match findings of this study
- Explore use of alternative funding sources such as Tax Increment Financing and Community Development Finance Institutions
- Work with local and regional foundations and for-profit businesses to procure funding support for affordable housing
- Enhance first-time home buyer support and financial support to nonprofit housing developers
Goal 3: Preserve and maintain current affordable housing options. This includes strategies to:
- Inventory currently subsidized units and implement efforts to preserve them
- Explore a “Right of First Refusal” program as a preservation tool to support long-term housing affordability
- Maintain affordable housing units through ground leases, deed-restricted properties, and community land trusts
- Implement tenant protection and anti-price gouging policies
- Assist households with moving to market-rate housing from the County’s Housing Choice Voucher Program
Goal 4: Fix county policies and procedures that hinder housing development. This includes strategies to:
- Continually evaluate and adjust County policies, fees and taxes that prevent housing development
- Adjust County tax and regulatory policies to reduce the financial and time burden on developers
- Adjust policies that hinder the development of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
- Review and amend zoning codes that prevent diverse housing options
Goal 5: Increase staffing and resources to manage and maintain housing programs and initiatives. This includes strategies to:
- Expand staff within the Division of Housing to support future initiatives and recommendations from this strategic plan
- Establish formal partnerships with municipalities, nonprofit organizations, builders, developers, and for-profit businesses
- Enhance data collection and analysis capacity to pursue evidence-based housing policy
- Implement a coordinated public education and community engagement effort
- Establish cross county and municipal housing working groups and initiatives
IMMINENT STEPS
While all goals and strategies will be considered, the County prioritized five strategies to implement right away:
- Negotiating with developers to build MPDUs instead of granting them the right to pay to not build them
- Exempting committed multi-family developments from certain APFO requirements
- Studying and adjusting the spending priorities for the Housing Initiative Fund
- Evaluating processes and regulations that prevent housing development
- Enhancing communication and community engagement to keep citizens informed
County Executive Jessica Fitzwater put it this way: “These are our friends and neighbors. They’re seniors, veterans and young workers who are struggling to make ends meet. They deserve the dignity of a safe, affordable place to call home. Government can’t do it alone. We need partnerships with other levels of government, businesses, non-profits and residents.”
Mayor Michael O’Connor hailed the numbers but warned that “every one of those numbers is a person or household in need. This information does not build a single home. It doesn’t lower rent or create starter homes. We must turn this data into action.”
The Affordable Housing Council will do its part by adopting the findings of this comprehensive study to inform its priorities for the coming year. We will assist the County and City in scheduling meetings throughout the County to discuss these findings and will advise on next steps.
The study was conducted by Indianapolis-based consulting firm, Thomas P. Miller and Associates. The study included input from over 1,700 County residents via an online survey and several “open houses” to discuss the issue.
To read the full study, go here: https://frederickcountymd.gov/6366/Housing