The Montgomery County Council is poised to approve changes today aimed at reining in thecounty’s rapid growth despite the warnings of some officials who say the plan might backfire.
The recommendations include new fees that would force developers to pay more to ease road congestion and encourage residents to take public transportation when developers start projects in densely populated areas.
The council already tentatively approved one part of the plan last week. That section of the proposal would charge developers a fee for new school facilities when new housing developments would cause enrollment at area schools to increase to 105 percent or more of recommended capacity. It also would put a moratorium on development around schools with more than 120 percent of capacity.
The recommendations come as Montgomery leaders, including County Executive Ike Leggett, have signaled their desire to slow the pace of development so infrastructure can meet demands.
But Leggett has urged council members to take a careful look at the proposals and their long-term ramifications before Nov. 15 — the deadline under county law for any new growth rules to be enacted.
Leggett’s spokesman, Patrick Lacefield, said the county executive has questioned whether a test designed to measure traffic levels is stringent enough and whether a plan that would have developers picking up 90 percent of the costs associated with new development is too harsh.
“He supports higher impact taxes but … at a certain point, you could adversely affect affordable housing in the county,” Lacefield said.
Council Member Valerie Ervin echoed those concerns.
“Do we have clashing policy objectives? Sometimes I think we do,” Ervin said. “You cannot say one day we need affordable housing but the next day vote for a policy that makes it almost impossible to get it built. We’re gonna drive up the cost of rental units, you’re gonna drive up the cost of everything.”
Other council members, like Roger Berliner, say the need for controlled growth has been percolating long enough and it is time to take a stab at solving problems.
Berliner said he believes the council is moving in the right direction with changes to the growth policy.
“We’re asking developers to pay more, and in my view pay their fair share,” Berliner said.
Council Member Nancy Floreen said she was “fine” with taxing businesses to provide the funds for infrastructure, but she wondered whether the number of taxes, fees and tests that would be heaped on developers was counterproductive.
“There’s a fine line you walk in terms of ensuring development pays for itself and ensuring the infrastructure it needs is in place,” Floreen said. “If you go too far, you won’t generate the dollars you need to make the improvements we need.”
