Online discussion will address risks to affordable housing and share strategies that cities and states are using to develop local preservation plans.
Wheaton, MD – Montgomery Planning, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), will join a national online conversation about the preservation of affordable housing on Wednesday, September 23rd. Tanya Stern, deputy planning director at Montgomery Planning, will join other housing and planning professionals to discuss preservation risks to affordable housing and strategies that cities and states are using to develop local preservation plans.
The Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC) and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) are organizing the webinar titled “Developing a Preservation Plan.” The discussion, which includes panelists from Detroit and Colorado, as well as national affordable housing researchers, will highlight the risk factors that increase the likelihood that a property is lost from the affordable housing stock and factors to include in an affordable housing preservation plan.
Montgomery Planning’s Preservation of Affordable Housing Study, released in July, highlighted the county’s preservation challenges and risk factors. Findings from the study include:
- Proximity to transit and new transit infrastructure is the strongest indicator for increases in rents, although zoning and transit access (not just proximity) are key variables.
- Property owners with near-term subsidy expirations for affordable housing units are more likely to explore other options ahead of the expiration date, including property sale to new ownership, rehabilitation, renovation and redevelopment, all of which could impact affordability.
- Deed-restricted rental properties located in neighborhoods with rising rent and income trends are more likely to lose affordability when the subsidy compliance period expires.
The study also included a suite of recommendations under four categories: strategy and outreach, land use and planning, tenants’ rights, and subsidy-capital financing and operating subsidy/cost. The Preservation of Affordable Housing Study is one of the tools that Montgomery Planning is using to inform the recommendations in Thrive Montgomery 2050, the update of the county’s General Plan.
“Now more than ever, in the midst of a pandemic that is exacerbating the housing crisis, we need to work together and learn from each other to meaningfully provide and preserve housing affordability for Montgomery County’s residents,” Stern shares. “Participating in national conversations like these can expand our perspectives for creating better and more affordable communities right here in the County.”
Montgomery Planning Director Gwen Wright, adds, “Participating in conversations where we can learn from others and share what we have learned is important as we aim to ensure housing is attainable for a broad range of incomes here in Montgomery County.”
Housing at Montgomery Planning
Montgomery Planning is committed to supporting the preservation and production of various housing types to meet the needs of our growing and increasingly diverse population. Learn more about our housing studies and policies on our housing website.
Learn more about the housing-related goals in the Thrive Montgomery 2050 Plan, which includes wide-ranging policies to increase protections for tenants and production and preservation of housing.
About the Webinar Organizers
PAHRC is a non-profit research center dedicated to conducting research that promotes the national conversation about the importance of affordable housing. Learn more at pahrc.org.
NLIHC is a non-profit advocacy and research center dedicated to achieving public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable homes. Learn more at nlihc.org.