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Councilmember Sayles joined experts at the National Economic Mobility Conference to discuss how Maryland and Montgomery County are improving housing and economic opportunities through policy alignment, financing, and zoning reforms.

Councilmember Sayles Joins State and County Housing Experts at National Economic Mobility Conference – Mocofeed

Panel examined how Maryland and Montgomery County are aligning policy, financing, and zoning to expand housing and economic opportunity

Montgomery County Councilmember At-Large Laurie-Anne Sayles joined state and county housing experts yesterday at the 2026 National Economic Mobility and Opportunity Conference to discuss how Maryland and Montgomery County are aligning public financing, zoning reform, and intergovernmental coordination to expand housing and economic opportunity.

Hosted by the International City/County Management Association, the practitioner-focused conference convened local government officials, national thought leaders, nonprofit leaders, funders, and private-sector partners from across the country.

The panel, “Meeting the Moment: Innovations in Economic Mobility and Opportunity,” featured:

Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles, Chair of the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee and member of its Economic Development Committee.
Steven A. Palmer, Maryland’s first State Housing Ombudsman;
Chelsea Andrews, President and Executive Director of the Housing Opportunities Commission of Montgomery County;
James Hedrick, Montgomery County Planning Board Member; and

Patrick Spence, Program Manager for Economic Mobility at the National Association of Counties, moderated the discussion. Spence leads NACo’s Counties for Housing Solutions initiative, in which Montgomery County participated.

Spence noted, “NACo is proud to share the innovative work of Montgomery County, Maryland on housing supply. From rezonings to public finance, Montgomery County is pioneering housing solutions worth replicating around the country.”

Together, the panelists examined the full housing-production continuum, including state and local coordination, zoning and regulatory review, public financing, community and developer engagement, and the delivery of completed homes.

“Housing is where state leadership meets local action,” said Councilmember Sayles. “When state resources align with local zoning, infrastructure, and community partnerships, we can turn policy into stable, affordable homes that connect residents to jobs, education, health care, and long-term opportunity.”

Palmer discussed Governor Wes Moore’s Housing Starts Here initiative and his role coordinating among state agencies, local governments, developers, and community stakeholders to resolve permitting and entitlement barriers, accelerate delayed projects, and facilitate housing on government-owned and transit-accessible land.

“It was great discussing the state’s and county’s shared mission of building more housing to address our housing affordability crisis and ensuring that Maryland can thrive.” said Palmer, State Housing Ombudsman, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

Andrews explained HOC’s $100 million Housing Production Fund, a revolving public-financing model that provides lower-cost construction financing for mixed-income housing. The Fund’s current pipeline includes seven projects projected to produce approximately 6,000 homes, including 1,800 permanently affordable homes.

“The Housing Production Fund demonstrates what is possible when a community is willing to create new tools to address its housing needs,” said Andrews, President and Executive Director of HOC. “While every community will need to adapt its approach to its own market and resources, the fundamental lesson is the same: we have to be willing to innovate, leverage our existing assets and create new pathways to increase housing supply.”

Hedrick addressed how predictable development standards, coordinated reviews, early problem-solving, and meaningful public engagement can help projects move more efficiently from entitlement to construction.

“Montgomery Planning and the Planning Board are taking a comprehensive approach to addressing the housing challenge: understanding housing needs, listening to residents, identifying barriers to construction, creating new opportunities through master plans and zoning, and streamlining approvals to help more housing get built,” said Hedrick, Montgomery Planning Commissioner. “Together, these efforts are helping position Montgomery County to provide a broader range of housing choices and greater affordability for current and future residents.

Sayles contributed the legislative and economic-mobility perspective, highlighting Montgomery County initiatives that include:

The Opening Pathways to Economic Necessity, or O.P.E.N., Zoning Text Amendment, which expedites qualifying developments with significant affordable-housing commitments;
The More Housing N.O.W. package, which expanded housing opportunities along designated corridors with affordability and development guardrails;
HOC’s Housing Production Fund;
Maryland’s Housing Expansion and Affordability Act and Housing Starts Here Executive Order; and
Montgomery County’s participation in NACo’s Counties for Housing Solutions initiative.

Sayles emphasized that jurisdictions should evaluate housing policy not only by approval timelines or unit counts, but also by whether completed homes reduce household costs, support workforce retention, improve access to employment and services, and allow residents to remain in their communities.

“A strong economy depends on people being able to afford to live in the communities they serve,” Sayles said. “Success is not measured by the number of units approved, but by whether residents can afford those homes, remain connected to opportunity, and build a stable future.”

The panel encouraged jurisdictions with limited staff and financial capacity to begin with three practical steps: identify one high-impact barrier, select one viable site, and establish one accountable partnership. Participants also emphasized that public incentives should respond to demonstrated development barriers and secure measurable benefits such as lasting affordability, timely delivery, accessibility, and community-serving amenities.

The National Economic Mobility and Opportunity Conference is being held Aug. 19-21 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

About Councilmember At-Large Laurie-Anne Sayles

Councilmember Laurie-Anne Sayles is an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council, representing more than 1.1 million residents. She chairs the Council’s Health and Human Services Committee, serves on the Economic Development Committee, and leads the Council’s efforts to eliminate disparities in public health. She also serves on the National Association of Counties Board of Directors and is a member of the Maryland Association of Counties Legislative Committee and Subcommittee on Taxation. Her S.M.A.R.T. agenda focuses on making living more affordable, expanding opportunity, advancing equity and sustainability, strengthening economic and community development, and tackling climate change.