A Montgomery County Council member urged her colleagues Tuesday to pay attention to population growth coming from families sharing housing, rather than new development.
Valerie Ervin’s comments came as the council discussed ways to slow the pace of development in the crowded county.
Ervin told her colleagues that growth in much of her jurisdiction, which covers Wheaton and Silver Spring in addition to otherareas, is coming from families sharing homes, rather than new development.
“There might have been very little new development in some of these communities, yet we still have a large number of families and students moving into these areas like Wheaton and Silver Spring and other areas,” Ervin said. “We’re not adding new single-family houses that I know of into Silver Spring, Takoma Park or a lot of the areas that I represent.”
Ervin said population growth from families sharing homes makes it difficult to project school enrollment and future infrastructure needs because development is not the only factor contributing to growth.
“What’s happening is people are doubling up [in homes] because people can’t afford rent, they can’t afford mortgage,” Ervin said. “So people are having a hard time counting these children.”
Rick Nelson, director of Montgomery County’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs, said complaints about overcrowded homes in Montgomery County this year already have topped last year’s numbers.
In 2006, Montgomery housing code enforcement personnel received 352 overcrowding complaints, while 426 complaints already have been filed this year.
“It’s hard to place affordable place to live in Montgomery County,” Nelson said. “In most cases that we investigate, people are working, they just can’t find a place to house themselves, so they are seeking shelter wherever they can.”
The council is debating several formulas designed to force developers of future projects in already dense areas to pay more to ease road congestion and encourage residents to take public transportation.
Montgomery leaders, including County Executive Ike Leggett, have signaled their desire to slow the pace of development so infrastructure can meet demand.
One proposal being discussed is charging developers a school-facilities payment when development wouldcause enrollment at area schools to increase to 110 percent of listed capacity.
It also would put a moratorium on development around schools once they have reached more than 135 percent of capacity.
