Housing, Health, and Education Committee Workshop on Affordable Housing - September 4, 2025
Housing, Health, and Education Committee Workshop on Affordable Housing - September 4, 2025
The Housing, Health, and Education Committee of the City of Frederick met on September 4, 2025, at 10:00 AM in a workshop format to discuss multiple affordable housing strategies, including a presentation from the Frederick Housing Solutions Task Force, an affordable housing overlay zone, the Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) Housing Fund, and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). The meeting included public testimony on each item.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes (August 21, 2025): The minutes were approved unanimously. Councilmember McShane was absent.
Public Comments & Testimony
- On Affordable Housing Overlay and MPDU Fund:
- Peter Brehm (District 3) urged the committee to learn about the advantages and limitations of not allowing or increasing the fee-in-lieu for MPDUs, and recommended that the Department of Health and Human Services develop a budget and spending plan for anticipated MPDU revenue.
- Ann Ryan (Frederick Housing Solutions Task Force) requested that the city invest MPDU funds in a demonstration project, noting a church downtown that wants to renovate into SROs for low-income seniors.
- Kevin Sellner (Citizens for Responsible Growth) stated that MPDU money should go solely for construction of housing and that social programs should be funded through the Capital Improvement Program rather than MPDU funds.
- On Accessory Dwelling Units:
- Peter Brehm strongly encouraged keeping the separate parking requirement for ADUs, as ADUs effectively double density. He also urged that all ADUs be registered with the city, whether or not a fee is attached, to prevent unregulated short-term rentals and address parking and noise concerns.
Discussion Items
Housing Solutions Task Force Presentation
Ann Ryan, representing the Frederick Housing Solutions Task Force (partnering with Coalition for a Healthier Frederick), presented on the urgent need for deeply affordable housing for those earning under 30% Area Median Income (AMI)—$34,000 for an individual, $50,000 for a family of four. The task force has subcommittees on development, community engagement, policy, supportive services, and landlord engagement. Pastor Shannon Sullivan of Trinity United Methodist Church described her congregation’s interest in using underused church land for housing and noted zoning as a key barrier. Bruce Savos (architect) shared a Montgomery County example where a 87-unit senior housing project on church land was permitted by right under existing zoning. Jody Ostrich (Interfaith Housing Alliance) explained that Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects target 40–60% AMI, leaving a gap for 30% AMI households. Councilmember O'Connor expressed support for the task force’s work but noted skepticism about tiny homes, though she was open to evidence. Vice President Shackelford stressed the urgency of action before the end of the current council term in December.
Affordable Housing Overlay
Council President Nash led a discussion on developing an affordable housing overlay or floating zone. Options include citywide application versus limiting to transit-oriented areas or specific zones. Gabrielle (Planning Department) distinguished between overlays (bonus regulations on top of base zone) and floating zones (replacing base zone, requiring council approval). Incentive zoning (by-right performance standards) was also discussed as a way to achieve predictability. Councilmember O'Connor stated her position that affordable housing should be mixed into every neighborhood but emphasized design compatibility—e.g., not placing high-rises in single-family areas. The committee directed Clara (research staff) to return in two weeks with options on maintaining community character and design standards while incentivizing affordable housing at different AMI levels. Consensus emerged for a citywide solution rather than a limited geographic scope.
Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) Housing Fund
The committee reviewed uses of the MPDU fund (currently ~$4.6 million). Clara presented a list of authorized uses. Councilmember O'Connor argued that the fund’s origin—from fees on new for-sale homes—should direct spending toward homeownership, not just rental projects. Stuart (Director of Housing and Human Services) noted that several authorized uses (e.g., home buyer education, delinquency prevention) are already covered by state-funded programs, suggesting redundancies. The committee decided to ask staff to identify which uses are duplicative and to prioritize the list. They also agreed to query recent MPDU fund recipients for updates (as requested at the previous meeting). Public comment reinforced different viewpoints on using funds for construction vs. social services.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
The committee discussed two main barriers to ADU construction: parking requirements and impact fees. Councilmember O'Connor pointed out that impact fees total roughly $15,000 per ADU (excluding water connection), which may deter homeowners. However, she noted that units under 800 square feet are exempt from school impact fees. Vice President Shackelford suggested surveying the public to understand why ADUs are not being built. The committee agreed to have the Communications Department develop a survey. Regarding parking, Councilmember O'Connor noted that parking is already constrained in some neighborhoods, but split opinions exist. No decision was made; additional information will be gathered.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Minutes of August 21, 2025, approved.
- Housing Solutions Task Force: Presentation received; committee expressed appreciation and commitment to consider task force recommendations as policy options develop.
- Affordable Housing Overlay: Staff directed to prepare options on community character and design standards for the next meeting in two weeks. The committee reached initial consensus on a citywide approach rather than a limited overlay.
- MPDU Fund: Staff will identify redundant authorized uses and provide a prioritized list. The committee will also receive updates from recent fund recipients. Public testimony noted.
- ADUs: Staff instructed to gather data on impact fees and to work with Communications on a public survey about barriers to ADU construction. No changes to parking requirements were made pending further information.
Meeting Transcript
Um, so Councilmember Shacklford, I think, just came in and walked upstairs, but we're gonna go ahead and get started and get through the Pledge of Allegiance and stuff, and by the time we're ready to start, he should be down here. Or that's the hope anyway. We ready? Thank you. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And two, three pop up for which it's one. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. Um Councilmember Shackelford has just walked in. Um Councilmember, our first um item is the approval of the August twenty-first minutes. So move. I'll second that. Those in favor. That's two. And um Councilmember McShane not present. Okay, so the first item on our workshop today is the housing solutions task force presentation. Um, I believe is the person who's doing doing this presentation. Thank you very much, Ian Ryan. Come on up and you can get started. I'm gonna note that um for anybody who is doing presentations for council or for other people. If you might just take a look at them on an iPad or a computer or something ahead of time, sometimes um they're very difficult to read with certain backgrounds in them. So again, this is just a general, if you don't mind doing that, it would make it so much easier for all of us. Thank you. Anne, you have the floor. Good morning. Um, I'm Ann Ryan. I'm with the Frederick Housing Solutions Task Force, which is partnering with Coalition for a Healthier Frederick to bring attention and light to the desperate need for housing for those who have the least resources. And so thank you for uh allowing us to come today to kind of show what we've been up to, what we're trying to do. Um, I'm honored to have Pastor Shannon Sullivan with us here next to me. She's the pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church and has been a great partner in envisioning what her role and her church role and the larger faith community role could be in creating housing on House of Worship property. So um, thank you for being here. We wanted to uh go through this um presentation to just uh kind of shine some light on the need and shine some light on what we think we could um create as possible solutions and what structure we're using to do that. Frederick, a home for everyone. That's our goal. So we worry that housing is out of reach for too many, that unless you're making over 25,000 as an individual, you cannot afford a single unit in Frederick, uh family of four under 50,000. What can we do to create more options? That's what we're after. Um the housing Frederick Housing Solutions Task Force was formed a few years ago to help build momentum in Frederick to fill the gap in housing that is available to those whose incomes cannot reach current market rent or mortgages. We've built a strong team of those passionate about finding real tangible solutions to deeply affordable housing. We have joined forces with Coalition for Healthier Frederick and serve as their local health improvement plan work group addressing affordable housing as a social determinant of health. Sharon Stromberg of the task force now sits on the board of the coalition. We very much appreciate the partnership with Healthier Frederick and Marcy Correa is here today as part of our team. The county did a um open house the other day uh recently showing some of the progress there that's being made on that city-county housing assessment. This was one of the documents that came out of that. And if you look at the seniors receiving social security benefits, any housing type with an annual with their annual income on Social Security 237 has zero percent housing options, and we we worry about that group and all the others on this chart that have very little hope to find any housing. And so we're here today to just say, as you know and you believe, and you're talking about all the time that the need is urgent, there's a housing crisis. This illustrates it, but we see it every day as well. Could you stay on that for just a second? So when you're looking at the difference in the rental options versus the for sale options, are you are you talking only monthly payment, or are you talking the for sale options are not possible because they don't have the money to get into the home to begin with, plus the monthly payment. Right.
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