Take action today to let Baltimore City Council know that we need to pass Council Bill 22-0195 -- Inclusionary Housing! On November 14th at 5pm, City Council will hold a hearing for CB 22-0195 and we need you to tell them to pass this bill with the following requirements for developers who are building 20 units or more and have received public subsidy from the city.

• Requires developers to offer 10% of their units affordable to 30-60% area median income (HUD defined for Baltimore region)

• Requires developers to offer an additional 5% units for those below 30% of area median income if they have additional subsidies awarded.  

• Removes loopholes and waivers that made the prior inclusionary housing policy ineffective  

• Affirmatively market inclusionary housing to residents who have been historically excluded from new development including Black families, persons who use vouchers, and others who have been discriminated against.  

Inclusionary Housing Policy encourages or requires developers to pay a certain share of housing to be more affordable. CB 22-0195 is reasonable and feasible for developers considering the urgency of the housing crisis that we are in. In the past 15 years, we had an inclusionary housing policy that only created 37 units of affordable. We can no longer afford to have ineffective policy that puts Baltimore residents – predominantly Black residents – at risk of homelessness, eviction, and displacement.  

Q. What do you mean by "developers that receive public subsidy"?

A. A public subsidy is when the government provides funding such as tax credits to developers to help complete their projects. An example of a tax credit used in Baltimore City is the High Performance Market Rate Rental Tax Credit. This is awarded mainly to development projects that build in predominantly white, wealthier neighborhoods. There are 0 affordable units in these buildings and yet the city helps subsidize the cost for developers or in other words subsidize segregation.

Q. Affordable housing for who?

A. At least 10% of units will be affordable for persons earning up to 60% area median income or below. The Baltimore Region area median income, according to HUD, is $44,160 for a single individual or $50, 460 for family of two. This includes single mothers, custodial service workers, landscapers, restaurant and dietary service workers, home care workers, teachers, and more.

Q. Will this bill disincentivize developers from building in Baltimore?

A. No. First, over 200 municipalities across the country have successfully implemented Inclusionary Housing including Montgomery County and D.C. Second, Baltimore City is home to some of the most premier institutions for education, work, and entertainment and developers will always want to develop in the area. Third, the bill calls for reasonable requirements for minimum inclusionary units.