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

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

Brian McLaughlin

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

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I look forward to seeing what comes next from this task force.

Scott E