Making Homeownership and Rent Affordable for Every Family

Finding an affordable home in Baltimore County shouldn’t be this hard—but for too many families, it is. Over the past decade, housing costs have outpaced inflation nearly 2 to 1. The average age to buy a first home nationally is 38 —and here in Maryland, it’s even higher. One in four Marylanders are considering leaving the state because of housing costs. These challenges have led to stalled economic growth and Baltimore County’s first population loss in a century.

The result? Working families are being priced out. Young people can’t afford to stay. Seniors can’t afford to age in place. And red tape continues to slow down the solutions we desperately need.

It’s time to break the “us vs. them” mentality between suburban and urban areas and move forward together through the One BaltCo Initiative—focused on ending the housing crisis, revitalizing our communities, and building a county where opportunity is within reach for everyone.

Nick’s Plan to End the Housing Crisis:

• Launch “HousingStat” to set clear housing targets and drive accountability.  Perform a comprehensive assessment of housing needs, track production goals in real time and hold government agencies accountable for results.
• Prioritize mixed-use development in key areas.  Transform empty lots and underused spaces into thriving communities where people can live, work, play and learn—replacing sprawl with smart, sustainable growth.
• Revitalize older communities like Baltimore Highlands, Lansdowne, Dundalk, Essex and Middle River.  Focus reinvestment where it’s needed most—updating infrastructure, supporting small businesses and strengthening the housing stock in the places that built Baltimore County.  Establish a countywide redevelopment authority to acquire blighted properties, clear back liens, and assemble and sell development-worthy parcels.
• Modernize the development process and foster culture of collaboration among government agencies.  Review and simplify the entire development process to cut red tape.  Overhaul the Department of Permits, Approvals and Inspections.  Cut response times in half.  Fast-track qualified projects like mixed-income housing near transit, adopt pre-approved housing plans and promote use of prefabricated homes.  End the outdated practice of “councilmanic courtesy” that gives individual councilmembers total control over land use decisions and overturn housing moratorium.
• Expand affordable housing options to allow seniors to age in place.  
• Create more senior living centers that allow residents to downsize without leaving their communities—and protect against property tax increases driven by housing scarcity.
• Support community development corporations (“CDCs”).  Invest in CDCs as force multipliers for County government and help them collaborate.  Encourage underserved communities to initiate their own CDCs (and provide organizational resources and counseling).   Stand up cross-community CDCs and promote interfaith organizations.

Baltimore County should be a place where people can build their future—not be pushed out of it. With Nick Stewart’s leadership, we will end the housing crisis, strengthen neighborhoods, and ensure that every family has a fair shot at a great place to call home.