MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — On Thursday, Montgomery County leaders were excited to break ground on a new project designed to address an ongoing problem: building housing that families can afford.
County Executive Marc Elrich said this kind of housing is in short supply in the Bethesda and North Bethesda areas, and decision makers don’t take families into account when housing plans are made.
“It’s really troubling because it’s mostly one or two bedrooms and it’s not designed to accommodate families moving there, and it’s also not very affordable,” he shared. “They don’t look at affordability and they don’t look at families...it’s not good for that to be an afterthought.”
The new project is developed by Making Homes Possible, or MHP, and brings 163 units of affordable housing to the area.
The units range from studios to three-bedroom apartments, and sets aside a majority of the units to be priced at 60% of Montgomery County’s area median income, or AMI.
According to the county’s AMI breakdown, if a family of four who falls in that range wants to rent a three bedroom apartment, the rent would be capped at $2,413, including utilities.
However, MHP President Robert A. Goldman says some units are even more affordable.
“In addition to having the ones that’re below 60%, we’re also going much further down and providing opportunities for folks below 30% and 50%,” he reported.
Developers say the location of this project also played an important role in its affordability. The land sits on a bus line, his across the street from a grocery store, and a short distance from a nearby Metro station and schools.
“It’s so close to a lot of wonderful resources in the community of North Bethesda,” Goldman said. “To be able to provide and set aside a property for low and moderate income families near these resources to benefit from all these great schools and all these other resources is very important.”
Goldman says the goal is to complete construction within 21 months, and have the building ready for tenants to move in by the middle of 2026.
Meanwhile, Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson emphasized that when it comes to affordable housing, quality shouldn’t be sacrificed.
“This is high-end housing!” he said. “Affordable should never mean lower quality, it should only mean lower rents.”