The Montgomery County Development Pipeline has spurred a lot of debate as the county deals with a severe housing shortage. The pipeline is a database of projects in the county that have received regulatory approval but have not yet been built. Currently, there are 278 development projects in the pipeline, totaling just under 30,000 unbuilt housing units. Some projects have been in the pipeline for decades.

One of the most repeated narratives in Montgomery County housing-policy debates is that the number of units in the pipeline is sufficient to meet the housing needs of our county for years to come. This narrative is built on a false assumption.

This argument assumes that the amount of development that has received … Continue reading