Montgomery County, Maryland, has sought to create affordable housing in an area for nearly three decades, and has had some success at achieving that goal. By the end of 1987, more than 6900 affordable units had been added to the housing stock. However, the issue is politically charged and has caused concern among various stakeholders in the community. At this point, decisions need to be made about the direction that the county should take from both a public and private standpoint in order to address the issue, and whether significant changes in policy need to be made in order to accomplish the desired outcome.
The county has long held that the fundamental issue is one of providing affordable housing in Montgomery County ostensibly so that service workers (police, fire, teachers) have access to housing near where they work. Until this point, the issue has been framed in the context that affordable housing the appropriate solution, and the only question is whether developers pay for the housing or whether subsidies are given to homebuyers and renters. However, the issue can be framed differently, and considered from the aspect of what rights or expectations individuals have regarding housing in the first place, which changes the issue significantly.
Montgomery County is an affluent area whose residents have typically had incomes well above not only the norms for the surrounding area, but the norms for the nation as a whole. Attached housing (condominiums and townhomes) were rare in Montgomery County for many years, and only began to be built in earnest as part of the effort to build affordable housing. Many lots are in excess of 25,000 square feet, and there are a number of lots exceeding one and even two acres. Affluent individuals and families purchased these homes, some of which were not connected to county amenities, and developers were eager to continue to build homes that served this target demographic.
As the coun...