State experts brief county committee on federal Road to Housing Act and its limits

A Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development briefing to the Montgomery County Planning, Housing and Parks Committee on Sept. 28 laid out the scope and limits of the federal 21st Century Road to Housing Act.

Mira Morgan, senior policy analyst at DHCD, told the committee the package "was enacted on July 11th of this year," and said it bundles more than 60 housing measures into a single law. "It passed the senate with a vote of 80 85 to 5 and the house with a vote of 358 to 32," she added, describing its bipartisan backing. Morgan said the act targets four main levers: modernizing federal housing programs, incentivizing local action, streamlining regulations, and expanding affordable housing finance options.

Morgan and Chuck Cook, DHCD senior advisor, emphasized that many of the law's effects depend on federal rulemaking. "There are at least 125 housing related actions that have been explicitly prescribed by the bill," Morgan said, and HUD will need to issue regulations, guidance and grant notices before most provisions take effect. She warned that the act itself "does not include any new funding," and that several programs named in the law will require additional appropriations to become operational.

The presenters highlighted specific changes that may affect Maryland and Montgomery County: HOME reauthorization with looser homeownership eligibility and reduced environmental review; CDBG expansion to allow certain new-construction affordable housing; streamlined inspections for Housing Choice Vouchers; new competitive grants for design review and planning; and pilot programs such as a temperature-sensor demonstration for older buildings.

DHCD staff urged local officials to track HUD rulemaking timelines and said the agency plans to work with the governor's office and federal delegation on next steps, including a state-level bill based on an upcoming study about single-stair design for mid-rise buildings.