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The Montgomery County Council approved a zoning measure on Tuesday that will allow for the construction of more residential buildings along designated transit corridors in an effort to create housing for middle-income residents.
The council voted 8-3 in favor of the Zoning Text Amendment 25-02.
Opponents to the plan that will allow duplexes, triplexes and some apartments along designated transit corridors in the Maryland county dotted the auditorium while the council got ready to vote. They held up signs with images of wrecking balls along with photos of council members with yellow caution tape at the top of each poster.
Council member Natali Fani-González, who championed the bill along with Council member Andrew Friedson, told the crowd, “To say that ‘we want more affordable housing, yet, let’s not do anything,’ is not a solution.”
“We are not displacing anybody. We are giving people choices. The government is not taking your home, which is the rumor that I keep hearing from people,” Fani-González added.
At one point during Fani-González’ comments, she was shouted down, and Council President Kate Stewart jumped in telling opponents, “We’re going to take a moment, and we’re going to take a breath, because this is Montgomery County; and in Montgomery County, we can disagree, respectfully.”
But protester Kimblyn Persaud, with the group EPIC of MoCo, objected, calling out, “Don’t insult us now!”
Council member Gabe Albornoz said before voting, “It’s understandable that people have raw emotions when it comes to discussing something as important as your own home.”
Under the zoning change, new construction with three or more units would have to include some that would qualify for workforce housing designations. Friedson explained if there are more than three units, 15% of those would have to come in under the workforce housing guidelines. That means that duplexes could be offered at the market rate.
Council member Will Jawando, long a skeptic of the plan, said that the process is set up as “either you’re for this ZTA or you’re not for those things.”
He called it a “false choice” and said he worried that when duplexes go up at market rates, “You’re going to have the negative effect, I fear, of displacing folks who need affordable housing and won’t be able to afford what comes back.”
His comment drew enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Council members Kristin Mink and Sidney Katz joined Jawando in voting no, with Katz saying “Candidly, I do not see how … what is being proposed, gets us to where we want to be for workforce housing.”
The ZTA won’t go into effect until Nov. 1.