Ability to lose 162
units, low demand at
Halpine View raise new
questions about MoCo's
supposed affordable
housing "crisis"
How serious is the affordable housing "crisis" in Montgomery County? We've been hearing off-and-on about the Montgomery County Housing Opportunities Commission's development plans for the Ambassador Apartments in Wheaton since 2012. At one point, it was said that a new building would be constructed on another part of the property, allowing current residents of the Ambassador to remain in their homes. But now, the building - a former Best Western hotel at the corner of Veirs Mill Road and University Boulevard - has been shut down and fenced off. Businesses in the ground floor have also been vacated.
Residents have supposedly been relocated by the HOC to other properties around the county. However, the HOC declined to respond to media inquiries made earlier this week by press time. From what I can find in County documents, it appears the building will be demolished at a cost of up to $1.5 million, a cost that will be picked up by County taxpayers. HOC has previously requested the funds from the County Council for that purpose.
Demolition was to have begun this year, and construction of the new development was to break ground in 2019. It appears that would still be possible if demolition occurs soon.
The loss of 162 low-income housing units near Metro - and the apparent ability of the HOC to find that many vacant units for the departing tenants - raises questions about just how serious the affordable housing "crisis" is in Montgomery County. Last year, the owners of Halpine View in Rockville off Veirs Mill Road stated that demand for their affordable apartments was declining, and that they had a substantial number of vacancies.
Beggars cannot be choosers, as they say. A modest, older apartment at Halpine View or the Ambassador would beat being homeless any day of the week. There should not be vacancies at Halpine View, and it should not have been possible to find vacant homes for 162 families before closing the Ambassador. Dogged apartment hunters would surely have found these affordable gems in their desperate housing searches. What is going on here?
County residents are being told we must now throw traditional, common-sense zoning rules out the window to address a housing "crisis," a move that will destroy existing single-family home neighborhoods. It appears further study of just what is going on here is clearly needed before making such irresponsible planning and fiscal decisions, especially with the County facing a structural budget deficit every year as far out at the forecasts go. More transparency is also needed. How many vacant affordable apartments are there countywide as of today? Taxpayers and homeowners deserve to know before accepting the new onerous costs, and reduced quality of life, that would come with adding multifamily urban housing within residential SFH neighborhoods.
"A Montgomery County code inspector issued a Stop Work order for South Street Steaks on Cordell Avenue. The order posted at the restaurant does not indicate the precise violation..."
ReplyDeleteBobbie saw a sign at 3 AM, but was asleep during the daytime when the code inspector was at work.
Amen. Dyer is clueless with his psychobabble.
DeleteThere's a difference between the affordable housing offered through subsidies and housing that is affordable to people making the median income in Montgomery County. The Fields, for example, requires that tenants make no more than a certain percentage of the median income. So a young professional making $45,000/year cannot legally rent there, and cannot afford an apartment in one of the new developments in Bethesda.
ReplyDeleteTHAT is what housing advocates are asking for - a happy medium between moderately-priced dwelling units and the luxury high rises going up all over the DC region.
It looks like the work was unpermitted. The only recent permit issued to that address was issued today (permit 860254) for "Restore And / Or Repair Business Building", so they probably filed it after getting the stop work order.
ReplyDeleteI don't blame the contractor on this one -- it's a grey area when it comes to repairs and if a permit is needed.
@9:46 Thanks for explaining -- but how would this be implemented? Would the builder be required to offer units at a certain rental range, and only accept tenants with a certain income range?
ReplyDeleteNo mention of the Lindsay Ford and McDonald's properties, which will almost certainly be part of any redevelopment happening here?
ReplyDeleteOr whether the redevelopment will include...HOUSING?
Why the embargo on comments on the South Street Steaks post? Why is this simple question always ignored?
ReplyDelete@ 2:50pm Dyer is blocking it because he is afraid of being sued by the man who quoted "I'm just a small family business man..."
ReplyDeleteI think HOC could be considerably more transparent in its operations than it is.
ReplyDeleteI think Robert Dyer could be considerably more transparent than he is.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an interesting post, and would like more transparency, from the county, too.
ReplyDelete@9:52 - Sorry I didn't respond to this yesterday! There are a few options; one would be, yes, the landlord/property owner restricting rentals to households within a certain income range. A concern with that option is the potential for abuse on both sides. Another option is that the developer chooses to create mid-range housing. The Henri up at Pike & Rose is on the pricier side of mid-range, but is more affordable than the Pallas or Persei buildings on the same site, and is marketed toward young professionals. Then there is just letting the market settle kind of naturally - as newer housing is built, older apartments won't be able to charge the same, price-wise, unless they undergo extensive renovations. You can see this happening in downtown Silver Spring. Several new luxury apartment buildings opened over the last decade, and costs at the older buildings went down.
ReplyDelete