By Gary Bennett and Hugh Gordon
This article appears in the Saturday, June 8, 2024 issue of the Frederick News-Post.
The first director of Frederick County’s new Division of Housing, Vin Rogers, knows he has his work cut out for him. In this era of nationwide affordable housing shortages, he believes there are many ways, however, to help solve this problem in Frederick County.
This year, Housing was elevated from department to division, with a director for the first time. This change was based on a recommendation from County Executive Jessica Fitzwater’s transition team.
“It elevates us to a comparable position as other large divisions within the county,” Rogers said. “And most importantly, it’s a recognition that the county executive sees this as a key issue going forward.”
Rogers’ top priority is to update the 2016 Frederick County Affordable Housing Study, to know exactly how big the problem is.
The updated study is a key piece of the county’s affordable housing puzzle and will include the needs of Frederick County and the incorporated municipalities. In 2016, the study showed a deficit of over 11,000 units for those making less than $50,000 per year.
After measuring the scope of the housing gap, Rogers plans to devise a strategic plan to address it.
He feels it’s imperative to consider real-life circumstances in the affordable housing debate. “What happens when your adult children want to stay in the area and be close to their families? What happens when you have an elderly parent who can’t afford to stay in the home they have now? I think it is critical for us to help people understand why it is so important for our entire community.”
Rogers alsov expects to further refine and expand upon proven programs and policies that will be addressed in the study.
Rogers said the county’s moderately priced dwelling unit (MPDU) ordinance, which recently changed its fee structure, will need time to kick in. The ordinance requires developers to pay the county $2 per square foot of total development if they opt to not build affordable units.
Developers used to pay a relatively modest, static fee, but now must pay a larger, more dynamic one, which could cause them to build smaller, more affordable units.
Since the cost of land is the highest in construction, Rogers is eager to consider how much county-owned land can be devoted to affordable housing. The county recently applied for $7.5 million in federal funds to be earmarked for pre-development costs on county-owned land.
“If we are able to use county-owned land for affordable housing and have funds available for pre-development costs, we believe developer savings would be substantial enough to require deeper subsidized units or more overall units,” Rogers said.
Rogers said developers are hamstrung by red tape and suggested that a speedier, streamlined process, or “green taping,” is needed.
“We’d like to make it less burdensome for developers to bring projects to the table because it can take so long. I’d like to raise affordable housing projects to the top.”
Other jurisdictions of Frederick County’s size sell bonds to finance housing projects, replacing private equity firms as the main source of investment. This typically saves developers millions and allows more below-market units to be built.
“What I’m used to is a housing authority that can issue bonds. Unlike the city, Frederick County doesn’t have a housing authority. If we had something like that, we could be a bond issuer,” Rogers said.
Since there’s a clear need for more senior housing, which typically doesn’t add to school overcrowding and not much to crowded roads, Rogers sees substantial community value on focusing on seniors, but strategically.
“What I’ve found is that you must be able to demonstrate success before people will get on board with affordable housing development, including senior housing. You need to produce a property so impressive that people are open to more of it.”
Rogers sees accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as part of the solution. ADUs, sometimes called “granny flats,” are independent, self-contained units that can be within a single-family dwelling, as an addition, or on the same lot as the dwelling.
“I don’t know why we wouldn’t look at expanding opportunities for homeowners to provide ADUs on their own properties. I don’t think the impact of ADUs pushes us to the point where we shouldn’t go forward with them.”
More manufactured housing could help, he said. “The speed of building housing is a problem that manufactured housing could help address. The stigma of what some people call ‘trailer homes’ is slowly disappearing. The way they’re built now, it’s almost hard to distinguish them from other types.”
Rogers wants to continues the policy exempting developers from paying impact fees when they develop affordable housing units. He sees that as a key tool that requires careful consideration based on the site and the populations served.
“There’s no easy answer on how to balance the need for more housing with the clear strain on county infrastructure. But I don’t think the two are mutually exclusive. We need to build, but we also need to preserve and make homeownership more affordable for the existing housing stock we have.”
On a practical level, Rogers hopes to build on a good working relationship with the city of Fredrick.
“The city is so important to affordable housing objectives. That is where the need is the greatest. We have a good relationship now, especially through the Affordable Housing Council, which has representatives from both the city and county. But the incorporated municipalities are very important, too. We hope to get them more involved in affordable housing issues.”
Editor’s note: Gary Bennett is a retired marketing executive. Hugh Gordon is the association executive for the Frederick County Association of Realtors and has decades of experience in the real estate world, including 24 years as a mortgage banker. They are longtime Frederick County residents and members of the Frederick County Affordable Housing Council.