As more moderate-income housing units are being built, Howard housing officials want to create a waiting list for potential renters and buyers.
“It?s really revamping the whole selection process,” Housing Deputy Director Thomas Carbo said.
The county has just 22 moderate-income housing units, know as MIHUs, but expects about 1,000 new units in the next year or two, Carbo said.
“Now that we have these units coming up, we felt like we needed a better process,” he said.
There currently is no waiting list. When developers complete a project, of which 5 percent to 15 percent usually is used for moderate-income units, they contact the county for buyers and renters who meet certain criteria. The county advertises the openings.
A waiting list previously wasn?t necessary, but now the county needs a quicker way to fill the housing, Carbo said.
To that end, officials have proposed changes to the MIHU regulations, including eligibility requirements.
The changes are modeled after Montgomery County?s system. The list allows Montgomery officials to find buyers or renters in about a month, said Chris Anderson, manager for Montgomery?s single-family housing program.
“When the builders are ready, they would like to get a buyer as soon as possible,” he said.
A waiting list is “reasonable and standard” for housing administrators, said Conrad Egan, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference, an affordable-housing advocacy organization.
The catch is making sure the list doesn?t get out of control, he said. Residents may get on a list, but it could take 15 years to get into a home if there aren?t enough units.
This could be dealt with by periodic enrollment periods, Egan said, and Howard would have four-month long periods a year.
