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NEWS RELEASE

August 7, 2007

Media Contacts:

Kevin Enright, Director, Office of Public Information, 410-313-2022
Kimberley Flowers, Deputy Director, Department of Planning and Zoning, 410-313-2350

Planning & Zoning and Housing Officials Collaborate on County’s Affordable Housing Efforts

ELLICOTT CITY, MD - County Executive Ken Ulman announced today the submission of a proposed zoning regulation amendment to the County’s Planning Board governing the moderate income housing unit (MIHU) program and certain actions of the Howard County Housing Commission.

This amendment will support modifications to the housing code and are “designed to enhance the overall effectiveness of the MIHU program and the County’s affordable housing efforts,” said County Executive Ulman. The Planning Board will review the proposed zoning amendment and hear testimony at its August 9th meeting. The zoning amendment is part of a legislative package which will be considered by the County Council in September and also include amendments to the Housing Code.

“These amendments are vital to our effort to address the housing needs of the County’s workforce,” said Stacy L. Spann, Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development. Characterized by the Department of Planning & Zoning and the Department of Housing & Community Development officials as a “fine-tuning” effort, the proposed zoning amendment accomplishes the following:

Moves the provision which gives priority to eligible County employees who seek an MIHU house or apartment, from the zoning regulations to the housing code;
Excludes assisted living and nursing beds in Planned Senior Communities from MIHU calculations;
Revises the zoning regulations to allow the County Housing Commission to build residential units on land that it either wholly owns or owns in partnership with a tax credit investor; and
Specifies the commercial districts in which residential units can be developed and establish regulations for development (e.g., setbacks, height, open space, buffers from adjacent residential property and minimum lot size)

“Incorporating standards and controls such as setbacks, height, and open space are critical elements that address concerns about compatibility,” said Marsha McLaughlin, Director of the Department of Planning and Zoning.

The MIHU program was established in 1996 and is responsible for the creation of 247 affordable units. County officials expect that these regulatory changes will begin to set the foundation needed to create the full-spectrum, high-quality, and diverse housing products desired by future County homeowners.

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