An attempt to limit certain new development in existing neighborhoods is drawing fire from advocates of affordable housing.
“It seems to be a crisis response to an imagined misuse of zoning law,” said Robert Buchmeier, of Howard?s Interfaith Coalition for Affordable Housing, adding that changes would hinder inclusion of affordable housing.
A bill before the County Council, introduced by Councilwoman Courtney Watson, D-District 1, would bar two-family dwellings, such as duplexes, as a conditional use on residential lots of 12,000 square feet.
Another related measure would require that lots be at least 12,000 square feet for the construction of two-family dwellings.
The legislation, a response to a failed Elkridge proposal, would close a zoning loophole that boosts density and so-called infill development, Watson said.
Many Elkridge residents expressed concern that developers would build as many homes as they can and two-family dwellings would negatively affect roads and schools.
“By leaving the option open for two-family dwellings, our neighborhoods become vulnerable to doubling of density,” Howard Johnson, president of the Greater Elkridge Community Association, said Monday at a public hearing.
The Howard County Citizen?s Association also lauded the legislation, noting it would not preclude residents from building accessory apartments on their property.
However, other activists, including Buchmeier, who served on the county?s affordable housing task force, opposed the measure, saying a comprehensive plan for affordable housing should be created rather than piecemeal zoning changes.
Limits on density “hinder ongoing efforts in the county toward achieving affordable housing,” Sherman Howell, of the African American Coalition of Howard County, said in a statement.
