OLO report: Montgomery County produced 2,592 affordable units since 2021 and needs consolidated data

Office of Legislative Oversight staff presented a regional analysis of affordable housing production and preservation and recommended steps the county could take to improve tracking and equity outcomes.

Will Yetvin (OLO) said the report focuses on locally produced and preserved housing for households at or below 80% of area median income. "From 2021 to 2025, Montgomery County reported producing 2,592 housing units affordable to households at 80% of AMI or below," he said, noting the figure comes from regional Housing Initiative Tracker data.

Natalia Carisosa (OLO) reviewed approaches jurisdictions use—dedicated housing funds, developer financing, rental assistance, homeownership assistance, development requirements (inclusionary programs), and tax/fee exemptions—and found most neighboring jurisdictions combine multiple tools. OLO recommended the county improve cross-departmental data sharing to build a unified, public-facing pipeline dashboard and consider the costs and benefits of adopting countywide affordable-housing targets.

Staff emphasized racial equity findings: homeownership rates vary by race in the county and people of color are disproportionately represented among those experiencing homelessness. The report proposes better public reporting, standardized data collection, and community-engaged policy design to improve outcomes.