Compromised Inclusionary Housing Bill Faces Approval In Baltimore

"Yet no one is truly happy with the bill, which goes before the Planning Commission tonight. The politically connected coalition fighting for the initiative worries that there is not enough money behind it, while homebuilders say it is misguided to force developers to include affordable units."

"The 'inclusionary housing' bill would require new residential projects of at least 30 units that take city subsidies or benefit from a significant rezoning to make a certain percentage affordable. The goal is to prevent Baltimore from becoming a Washington or a San Francisco, where even some white-collar professionals can no longer afford homes."

"The legislation on the table is substantially weaker than what was introduced last winter. Though the original bill would have required affordable units be built into all residential projects, the revised version would immediately apply only to developers getting tax breaks or discounted land from the city."