About
A master plan for housing needs had not been completed for Howard County in more than 10 years. County Executive Ball created the Housing Opportunities Master Plan Task Force in Fall 2019 to assess the current state of housing in Howard County and to assist in the preparation of the Housing Opportunities Master Plan. The Housing Opportunities Master Plan will assess housing programs and policies in all County government departments and agencies to improve efficiency and effectiveness, identify ways to create and preserve housing opportunities for residents of all income levels, and provide metrics and timelines to measure progress towards achieving goals in the plan.
Housing Opportunities - Final Master Plan
County Executive Ball released the Housing Opportunities Master Plan to the public at an event on May 18, 2021. The Department of Housing and Community Development would like to thank the members of the Housing Opportunities Master Plan Task Force for their time and commitment to the development of the plan. The 40-page plan, and 80 recommendations that follow, is based on data analysis and research of neighboring jurisdictions and nationwide, as well as input from community practitioners, housing partners and the public over the last 14 months. The community was able to participate in the process and development of the plan through 22 task force meetings, 5 community meetings, multiple environmental justice outreach discussions and 2 surveys with over 2600 responses.
Click here for the Master Plan
Appendix A - Detailed Recommendation
Appendix B - Comparison of Task Force and Plan Recommendations
Appendix C - Market Overview and Background Research
Appendix D - Overview of Policy, Program and Funding
Appendix E - SWOT Analysis
Appendix F - Public Engagement Summary
Task Force Information
Members & Workgroups
Task Force Members
The Housing Opportunities Master Plan Task Force will provide a local understanding of the broader issues concerning housing needs and they will promote public involvement during the development of the Master Plan. The Task Force members include:
- Paul Casey
- Pat Sylvester
- Jennifer Broderick
- David Nitkin
- Paula Seabright
- Steve Breeden
- Christine Madigan
- Maria Miller
- Roger Barnes
- Leonardo McClarty
- Joan Driessen
- Mavis Ellis
- Brent Loveless
- Bill McCormack
- Anne Brinker
- Cindy Parr
- Kevin Kelehan
- Erica Byrne
- Victoria Hathaway
- Dr. Caroline Harper
- Ana Cisneros
- Linda Wengel
- Phyllis Zolotorow
Workgroups
Executive Order 2019-12 Press Release
October 30, 2019 Press Release
ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Today, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced the new Housing Opportunities Master Plan process, the first in over a decade. The process will include hiring an independent consultant to find potential approaches in housing, including ways to expand homeownership opportunities and ensure a sustainable future of housing in Howard County. Ball also signed an Executive Order to form a Housing Opportunities Master Plan Task Force, comprised of a diverse group of community members and stakeholders who will ensure an inclusive, transparent, community-driven process. Photos of the event can be found here. Video can be found here.
“Housing is a critical issue for the future of Howard County and in order to choose the best path forward for all, we need to be informed decision makers. When I took office, Howard County had not created a comprehensive Master Plan on housing affordability needs in over a decade. I am proud to announce a new Housing Opportunities Master Plan process and Task Force to make the critical determination around what is actually working, and what needs to be improved,” said Ball. “Our Master Plan will help us answer the fundamental questions to begin our community conversation: What is the current state of our housing needs and what is the best path forward to serve all our residents? Together, we will find the answers and make Howard County a great home for families today and tomorrow.”
The plan is envisioned to take approximately one year to complete so that the County can consider Fiscal Year 2022 budget investments, based on the recommendations. The steps of the Housing Opportunities Master Plan process include:
- Data Collection
- Outreach
- Explore Approaches in Other Jurisdictions
- Identify Options
- Conduct Application Projections and Assessments
- Finalizing the Plan
- Composing and Presenting the Final Report
- Post-Project Implementation Review
Meetings & Presentations
Below (in reverse chronological order) is a list of presentations and notes from previous meetings:
- December 10, 2020
- December 3, 2020 - Task Force Led Discussion
- November 18, 2020 - 7-8 pm - Virtual Open House
- November 10, 2020 - 12-1 pm - Virtual Open House
- October 29, 2020 - Task Force Led Discussion
- October 26, 2020 - Deep Dive Discussion #3
- October 20, 2020 - Deep Dive Discussion #2
- October 19, 2020 - Deep Dive Discussion #1
- October 8, 2020 - Task Force Led Discussion
- September 29, 2020
- September 17, 2020 - Task Force Led Discussion
- August 27, 2020 - Task Force Led Discussion
- Initial Public Survey
- August 25 and 26 and September 10, 2020
- July 9, 2020
- May Workgroups Meetings
- May 11th - Housing Policy Work Group Meeting
- May 13th - Housing Affordability Work Group Meeting
- May 14th - Housing Market Work Group Meeting
- April 29, 2020
- March Workgroups Meetings
- March 17th
- March 18th
- March 23rd
- February 4, 2020