Statement From Council Vice President Will Jawando on the Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, January 7, 2025
From the Office of Council Vice President Will Jawando
Montgomery County Council Vice President Will Jawando released the following statement today on the Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative.
“I want to wish all of our residents a happy and healthy New Year. I also want to personally respond directly to residents regarding my own position on the Planning Board’s Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative (AHSI) recommendations – and particularly to concerns I have heard related to the nature of the recommendations, the analysis underlying such recommendations, and uncertainty regarding the process going forward. I hear these concerns, and it is important to me to share my perspective, consistent with my values and goal of being transparent and accountable to our residents in my role on the County Council.
“Ensuring that everyone in Montgomery County has access to safe, high-quality and truly affordable housing has been a core pillar of my work on the Montgomery County Council. As a lifelong resident of this County who has experienced housing insecurity firsthand, I understand deeply how critical stable and affordable housing is for families and individuals alike.
“In my role on the Council, including as a member of the Planning, Housing and Parks (PHP) Committee, I have been a strong advocate for our residents on housing issues in the County. In 2020, I successfully passed legislation to protect tenants living in substandard conditions and I introduced the “More Housing for More People” proposal—composed of rent stabilization (with a version passed in 2023) and Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 20-07 , which would have allowed for “missing middle” housing within one mile of our Metrorail stations. My goal with the ZTA was to expand housing opportunities for working families, educators, first responders, and seniors otherwise priced out of established single-family neighborhoods. While this approach was bold for its time, it was also intentionally narrow, focusing on areas close to transit where we could build more sustainably and responsibly. The then-Council did not take up formal consideration of the ZTA. Instead, it requested that the Planning Board consider my ZTA proposal as part of a broader consideration of possible zoning reforms to provide more missing middle housing options.
“However, the AHSI proposed by the Planning Board goes far beyond this original, targeted vision. It recommends sweeping changes to zoning that could affect large parts of Montgomery County. After studying the AHSI recommendations in detail, and hearing the outpouring of concern from the community regarding the recommendations – through listening sessions, correspondence, neighborhood visits, and one-on-one conversations all around the County – I believe we should pause consideration of these recommendations at this time.
“The reasons are clear. First, residents across the County have raised thoughtful concerns about how these changes could impact our already overburdened schools, infrastructure, utilities, and environment. While the Planning Board has spent a great deal of time on these recommendations, these fundamental questions from our community deserve further consideration.
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“Secondly, many residents have questioned whether ‘attainable’ housing will truly address our affordability crisis. Many fear that empowering some developers to build additional market-rate units in single-family neighborhoods could incentivize profit at the expense of real affordability and stable neighborhoods. While new construction is vital to our growth, we must ensure that policy changes actually help working families find homes they can afford.
“Lastly, during this time of transition and economic uncertainty—particularly for our federal workers—we must be thoughtful and deliberate in our decision-making. Potential changes to federal employment and spending could significantly impact our County’s economy and our capacity to support the infrastructure and county services required by new development. Our immediate focus should be on critical housing needs: ensuring approved projects get built, expanding affordable options, and creating opportunities for our teachers, first responders, and other essential workers to live here. While targeted zoning reforms may have a role to play in the future, they’re just one tool among many for addressing our housing challenges.
“I am committed to working with my colleagues, the Planning Board, developers, and—most importantly—our residents to ensure Montgomery County remains a place of opportunity and belonging for all. We can and must build more housing, but we must do it wisely—including with policies that are rooted in our community’s desires for its future and that reflect our shared values of equity, sustainability, and fairness. That’s why I believe we should pause consideration of these recommendations and refocus on meeting the needs of our current and future residents with affordable housing, ensuring approved projects get built, protecting renters, and thoughtfully considering any future targeted zoning changes in close coordination with the community. By being deliberate and transparent in our approach, we can create housing solutions that work for the people of Montgomery County.”
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Release ID: 25-001
Media Contact: David Kunes 240-350-5104
Categories: Will Jawando
For updates and link to press release, see here: http://www2.montgomerycountymd.gov/mcgportalapps/Press_Detail.aspx?Item_ID=46392