Frederick County – Gary Bennett Publishing

County’s new housing director wants to gauge shortage

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.

Can Frederick County ever be ‘Montgomery County North?’

By Gary Bennett and Hugh Gordon

white and gray concrete buildings under blue sky — Montgomery County, Maryland

You hear the sentiment thrown around all the time: “If we don’t stop all of this development, Frederick’s going to become Montgomery County North.”

Hyperbole? Sure. But like a lot of things, if we don’t rely on facts, misinformation can take hold.

It makes a nice political sound bite and is easy to fall back on when we see traffic getting heavier and schools more crowded. We do have an infrastructure problem that will take real political will to solve.

The hard truth, however, is we still don’t have enough housing in this county to satisfy demand. That is irrefutable.

Experts and politicians from both sides say so. But not just that, ask the 20- and 30-year-olds around Frederick who would like to purchase a starter home but can’t. Ask the working parents about finding a reasonable rent that doesn’t take most of their paycheck.

Ask the 60- or 70-year-olds who want to downsize but can’t find anything to downsize into. The problem is real and the construction you see is Frederick County’s attempt to bring balance back to the housing market.

When comparing Frederick County with Montgomery County, here are some facts to consider.

Size

Montgomery County is huge. Frederick County has about 290,000 people; Montgomery County has nearly 1.1 million.

In geographic size, Frederick County is the largest in the state. We have a land mass of about 660 square miles. Montgomery County has about 493 square miles. Frederick County has a density of about 440 people per square mile while Montgomery County’s is about 2,100 people per square mile. It would take growth of biblical proportions for Frederick County to get anywhere near the density of Montgomery County.

Growth

Frederick and Montgomery counties are growing at comparable rates. Most growth in Montgomery County is concentrated in nine large cities or areas, including Bethesda and Silver Spring, which mostly border Washington, D.C. In Frederick County, most growth is centered in and around the city of Frederick, where infrastructure and transit options are strongest.

In Montgomery County, the growth in the larger cities near Washington, D.C., has been allowed to run together, giving it a feel of sprawl. In Frederick County, most municipalities have adopted slow-growth policies. Because of this and the open-space initiatives discussed below, there can be no running together of municipalities in Frederick County.

Open space

In Frederick and Montgomery counties, large swaths of land must be kept perpetually rural because of Maryland’s agricultural reserve program. In fact, the northern part of Montgomery County is just as rural, if not more so, than Frederick County. One-third of Montgomery County, or 93,000 acres, has been designated as the Agricultural Reserve.

But Frederick County does a better job.

Its priority preservation program seeks to permanently preserve at least 160,000 acres of agricultural land and protect a total agricultural base of 200,000 acres as a rural reserve to support a diversity of agricultural practices.

When you add on land in programs like the conservation reserve enhancement program (CREP) and the Creek Releaf program, land protected in stream buffers and county parkland, the county aims to have over 200,000 of its 427,000 acres (47%) in some type of program that is or is intended to be protected against development.

The availability of adequate public facilities focuses planning and development on the municipalities of the county, chiefly the city of Frederick. Therefore, discussions shouldn’t center on maintaining the agricultural nature of the county that we all love — that is not going away—but rather should be focused on how we can best plan for development in the municipalities of the county.

Migration

It is convenient to claim that large numbers of people from Montgomery County are moving to Frederick County every day to escape growth and taxes. Some of that is happening, but not as much as we think.

According to the 2020 American Community Survey, roughly 16,000 people migrated into Frederick County from 2016 to 2020. During this same time, about 14,100 migrated out, for a net gain of nearly 2,000. Would anybody have guessed this?

Of the 16,000 who migrated into Frederick County during this time, about 3,200, or 20% came from Montgomery County. But, 2,200 Frederick County residents migrated to Montgomery County during this time, for a net of about 1,000 people.

Yes, in-migration from Montgomery County is higher than for any other Maryland county, but it is certainly not an invasion. Interestingly, when you look at per capita in-migration, Carroll and Washington counties lead the way.

an amusement park at night — Frederick County Fair, 2023

‘A hand up’: Frederick’s leading advocate for ending homelessness in the county talks about his program and passion

By Gary Bennett

Ken Allread, Executive Director, Advocates for Homeless Families, Frederick, MD, 2024

This article appears in the Frederick News-Post’s February 2024 issue of “Prime Time” magazine.

It’s not often you find your life’s purpose after a lifetime of work, but that’s exactly what Advocates for Homeless Families executive director Ken Allread did.

Like most of us, Allread had been concerned with the welfare of homeless families his entire life but couldn’t do much about it. Then in 2009, he got an invitation to volunteer at Advocates for Homeless Families in Frederick. Now, he has been executive director for 15 years, and his passion for the mission of this somewhat obscure Frederick nonprofit has only grown.

After retiring in 2009 from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in Washington, D.C., where he was serving as section chief in the budget division, Allread sat around the house for three weeks and decided it was not going to work for him. Luckily, his friend Joe Case was the current executive director at Advocates in Frederick and invited him to volunteer. “It will be fun,” Case wryly told Allread.

Although “fun” may not have been the best descriptor for the difficult work, it was certainly fulfilling. Allread took to his volunteer duties at Advocates with the same vigor he approached his paid career. In 2010, Allread was recognized as Advocates’ volunteer of the year, spending countless hours writing grants and doing other administrative tasks, freeing paid staff for other work.

In early 2011, the executive director position at Advocates became vacant when incumbent Joe Case decided to reestablish his professional contracting career in D.C. and left Advocates. Throwing caution (and perhaps a comfortable retirement) to the wind, Allread applied for and got the job in September 2011.

He was thrilled, but taking the job turned out to be a tough decision for Allread. At about this same time, his former employers at the U.S. Courts came calling. They wanted him to go to Serbia and help get that former communist country into the European Union. To do so, they would have to show a separation of powers. Allread took a leave of absence from Advocates, traveled to Serbia and helped their newly formed independent judiciary write an operating manual.

From homelessness to homeownership. One of Advocates’ families recently moved directly from temporary housing to their first home!

“They wanted me to stay in Serbia for a lot of money. But at the time, Joe [Case] was leaving and Advocates probably would have failed. So, I had a choice to make, and I chose Advocates,” Allread said.

Because of less than stellar management prior to Case coming on board, Advocates had only $20,000 in the bank. Most of the other nonprofits and foundations no longer trusted Advocates. Allread had to work hard to rebuild that goodwill. And by all indications, he has succeeded.

Advocates for Homeless Families is a valuable but somewhat hidden asset in Frederick County.

Perhaps misnamed, Advocates does much more than advocate on behalf of homeless families in Frederick. It operates two successful programs designed to keep homeless families together, off the streets, and eventually in a reliably-housed, stable, working, tax-paying situation.

Allread said he sees Advocates as a holistic program first and housing-provider second.

“The housing is just a means to an end,” he said. “We are a program and not a shelter. We want our clients to stand on their own, and we do everything we can to make that happen.”

Advocates currently owns 12 apartments and townhouses in Frederick that provide families with an alternative to life on the streets. Aptly named, the transitional housing program serves as a transition from shelters to permanent housing. It features intensive case management that can last up to two years.

During that time, families pay a housing fee of 30% of their income with a cap of $300 per month. “There are no free rides,” said Allread. “The goal is to eventually get them standing on their own and into public housing or, at least, get them Section 8 assistance.”

Receiving the highly subsidized housing requires more than just paying the fee. The program mandates education, training and support services to help families find jobs or increase earnings so they can afford to live on their own.

Keeping families together. A newly married couple from Advocates’ transitional housing program now has a gateway to a better life!

Advocates works closely with Frederick Community College and Hood College to steer clients into degree programs and trades that will provide enough money to live on. If they are accepted into a program like nursing, they can be with Advocates for up to three years.

“We support them as long as it takes to get that degree and a well-paying job. This doesn’t mean they won’t struggle along the way,” Allread said. “They do.”

All clients agree to a personalized plan and must meet monthly milestones to assess their progress. The program is successful in moving five or six families a year into permanent housing.

Allread admits there is a real need to increase Advocates’ funding so they can help more people by purchasing or renting more properties. They have a waiting list of about 60 households.

Currently, one-third of Advocates funding comes from private contributions, which includes individuals, civic organizations and businesses. One-third comes from charitable foundations and one-third comes from state and federal grants. A falloff in any of the three can really hurt.

He realizes Advocates has kept a low profile over the years but would like to change that. “We would love to have a development manager to get the word out about Advocates, but we’re just not ready financially. It is necessary. Our peers such as the Religious Coalition and Heartly House have development managers.”

Finally, Allread hopes the organization continues to expand and keep up its high success rate. He’s excited to see where Advocates goes in the future but overall, he knows the program works.

“Our operating philosophy is that we give a hand up and not a handout,” Allread said, “and we really mean it.”

Gary Bennett is a longtime Frederick resident who spends his time hiking, biking, volunteering and providing childcare for grandchildren. He is married and retired from his career as a nonprofit marketing executive. He is a volunteer board member for Advocates for Homeless Families.

No stopping her. Andrea, a single mother of four, has overcome homelessness and is now a full-time student at FCC and working part-time at FMH!

It’s time to create a county police dept.

By Gary Bennett

Sheriff Chuck Jenkins is interviewed by the Frederick News-Post after his successful 2018 election.

This article appears in the April 14, 2023, edition of the Frederick News-Post.

In 2021 the News-Post published my LTE extolling the virtues of creating a professional county police department to replace the political office of sheriff.

I felt at the time and still do that Frederick County has outgrown this outdated policing model and that it does not serve us well.

It wasn’t hard to come to this conclusion after listening to repeated political sniping from Sheriff Chuck Jenkins and his challenger and Jenkins’ ongoing railing against a majority of the county’s population, which he is sworn to protect.

I asked at the time “Do we really want elective politics playing a day-to-day role in professional law enforcement?”

Last week our sheriff was indicted on five counts of conspiring and making false statements to illegally acquire machine guns.

And what did Jenkins allegedly receive in return for helping his friend get those machine guns? Political support, of course.

I hate to say I told you so but this was not difficult to see coming. Sheriffs are all-powerful constitutional animals. They answer to virtually no one, that is, until they get caught.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We shouldn’t have our county’s top law enforcement officer constantly pandering to their political base, begging for money, pushing back against political enemies and looking for political favors.

It doesn’t matter that Jenkins is a Republican. I’m not naïve enough to think a democrat wouldn’t do the very same thing.

I have no idea if the charges will stick. It doesn’t matter. The damage has been done.

He is at least guilty of extremely poor judgement. How he can take his broken law and order persona into the office each day and look his deputies in the eye is beyond me. But then again, the shameless chutzpa so many politicians posses always surprises me.

While the Maryland Constitution requires each county to have a sheriff, state statutes allow counties and municipalities to form local police departments. This is the path Frederick County needs to start down. I realize this was not a priority for our new county executive or the citizens advising her, but we can’t delay. The time is now.

I call on the county council and county executive to begin studying the costs and benefits of creating a professional county police department.

Conflicting wishes in northern Frederick County

By Gary Bennett

This article appears in the February 2, 2023, issue of The Fredrick News-Post

Did anyone else scratch their head when reading the story with the headline “District 5 residents ask not to be ignored” (The Frederick News-Post, Jan. 30)?

It came a few days after Thurmont residents voted in a referendum to disallow the annexation of 16.7 acres of county land in order to stop a high-density development that would have brought in over $1 million in tax revenue?

Residents from the northern part of the county made their conflicting feelings known at a District 5 town hall held by the new county executive just a few days after the referendum.

They say they often feel left out so they came with a laundry list of spending wishes including repairs and upgrades to roads, new parks and trails, help for emergency services, and more affordable housing for seniors—the very things this nixed high-density development would have aided.

Of course, District 5 includes more than just Thurmont, but one has to wonder if these folks wish to have their cake and eat it, too.

The kicker came when one resident said “the referendum came to a vote because the people of Thurmont want an opportunity to have a development that fits in with their small town atmosphere, not rows of townhouses that looks like Frederick City.”

As a proud resident of Frederick City, I hope the person I quoted does not partake of our many fine restaurants, theaters, cultural activities, parks or trails—all those things that a higher-density tax base allows—because if they do, they have shown their true “not in my backyard” colors.

Perhaps it is time Frederick County adopt a “fair share” law in affordable housing that is now gaining traction in other states and jurisdictions—an approach that assigns each town a certain number of units to plan and zone for, based on the needs of the region and the wealth of the town in question. The towns would then share the responsibility for that need.

Thurmont, I hate to break this to you, but your working-age children and your aging parents simply can’t afford to live in your single-family town and will most likely move to a townhouse in Frederick.

So You’re Newly Retired. Now What?

By Gary Bennett

Ellen Bennett helps her grandson, Logan, prepare for kindergarten next fall.

This article appears in the February 23rd, 2022, edition of the Frederick News Post.

As we begin to reach our 60s and beyond, most of us can begin to see the end of our working days on the horizon. It can be a sweet picture: wide open, unhurried days with long walks and longer lunches. It’s going to be great, right?

Maybe not.

Without a plan for retirement, these unhurried days can quickly become boring — or worse, detrimental to our health. Most experts agree we need to keep our mind, body and spirit active in retirement.

I retired on Jan. 1, 2020, just before the pandemic began, after a long publishing and marketing career at associations in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. My wife, Ellen, followed me eight months later after an equally long career as a nurse. After two intense but rewarding careers, we were more than ready to retire at age 62.

Our plan for retirement was easy. We wanted to help as many people as we could for as long as we could.

With that in mind, here is our recipe for a happy retirement that allows us to enjoy an active lifestyle while helping others. We realize this pace is not for everyone, but if you ever find yourself bored, pick out one of two of our suggestions and give them a try.

FIND A NEW JOB

This may sound counter-intuitive, but more and more retirees are doing it, and we did as well. We found new jobs.

Three days a week, from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., we serve as caregivers to our two pre-school grandsons. We are exhausted by day’s end but can’t help smiling as we talk over each eventful day.

If there is any way you can swing it, we highly recommend you give this a try. We save our son- and daughter-in-law mountains of money, provide love and peace of mind and — the best part — get the privilege of having front-row seats to the wondrous, daily reality show of children growing up.

Logan, Gary and Gavin Bennett and grand-dog Chloe enjoy the water table.

This is a great “job,” but it wasn’t quite enough for me, so I got a second job delivering prescriptions two or three days a week for Whitesell’s, a local pharmacy. The hours are great (roughly 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.), so I get to have a few leisurely mornings. Along with helping other people by bringing them something that makes them feel better, I get to be my own boss, drive around town in a sporty Ford Focus and get a little sunshine and exercise, too.

Of course, you don’t need me to tell you that the job market is red hot right now, even for seniors. If you try, you can find a part-time job that you will like or perhaps love. Top jobs for seniors according to AARP are teacher’s aide, coach/referee, tour guide, retail salesperson, tax preparer and consultant.

VOLUNTEER

My wife and I also take advantage of the wonderful world of volunteering. Frederick County is special in this regard. Endless opportunities await if you have a sincere desire to make a difference.

I began volunteering shortly after retirement by becoming an English tutor for the Literacy Council of Frederick County. They showed me the ropes, provided teaching materials and paired me with two Spanish-speaking sisters with a strong desire to learn English. The Literacy Council always needs tutors, and I can guarantee that if you give this a try, you will find it immensely rewarding.

Gary Bennett working with one of his English students at the Urbana library.

If you have a little more time, we recommend membership in any of Frederick’s fine service clubs. Each has a slightly different focus but all want to make Frederick County a better place to live and work. Ellen and I joined the Lions. Others include the Elks, Kiwanis, Moose, Jaycees and Rotary.

At Lions, Ellen used her nursing knowledge to start a used medical equipment lending program that serves Frederick County citizens in need with wheelchairs, walkers, bedside commodes and other medical equipment free of charge. She runs this program out of our garage, although we are looking for more permanent space.

Ellen Bennett checks her inventory of used medical equipment for loaning out.

I created an annual Lions event called Canines on the Creek that brings the community together around a fun pet costume contest that raises money for Leader Dogs for the Blind. I also help lead an event called Roar Like a Lion that creates care packages for houseless individuals.

Other volunteer opportunities in the area:

• Frederick County Food Bank, where we stock shelves and help clients choose food. We include our 16-year-old grandson in this endeavor.

• Frederick County Adopt-a-Road program that puts citizens in charge of occasional trash pick-up on stretches of county highways. This activity provides great exercise while doing something good for your neighborhood.

Gary Bennett at the beginning of a two-mile stretch of road the Bennetts have adopted.

• Meals on Wheels, which allows Ellen to use her nursing skills to provide periodic client assessments, and I make deliveries.

• Local homeowner’s association, where we have both served as officers.

• Local election judge, in which I’m currently serving a four-year term and looking forward to the 2022 elections.

• Downtown Frederick Partnership, where we have assisted with Bring a Broom Saturday, Thursday evening Concerts on the Creek and the annual Fire In Ice event.

• American Red Cross, where we have become frequent blood and platelet donors.

• A local church, where we work on our spirituality, make friends and help others. We attend First Baptist Church on Bowers Road and are so glad we do.

KEEP YOUR BODY MOVING

It doesn’t have to be all work, work, work. Frederick County offers many free and low-cost diversions. Ellen and I participate in as many as we can.

Our favorite is the senior exercise classes held at the William R. Talley Recreation Center. They are held daily in the morning, although the best we can do is about once a week. Frederick’s Senior Rec Council also provides opportunities in various sports including hiking, biking, bowling, basketball and softball.

CONTINUE LEARNING

We’ve also taken advantage of Frederick Community College’s Institute for Learning in Retirement. This program offers classes in interesting subjects such as history, politics and languages. Ellen and I have taken several courses, my favorite being Hiking the Appalachian Trail, which helped get me on the trail.