Baltimore Residents Skeptical of Zoning Reform Efforts

The Baltimore City Council is pushing forward with zoning reforms aimed at making housing more affordable, but some residents are accusing the council of ignoring threats to long-term residents.

As Hallie Miller and Emily Opilo explain in an article for The Baltimore Banner, “The public’s concerns ranged from the practical — less parking, more people, more trash — to the philosophical — changing the character of the city.”

One significant proposal, supported by the city’s mayor, would allow multifamily housing in all of the city’d residential neighborhoods. “The mayor pointed to East Baltimore’s Johnston Square neighborhood, a city-backed investment initiative that has carefully baked in community feedback.”

Another proposed bill would eliminate parking minimums. However, critics of the proposed legislation say Baltimore, with its many vacant lots, needs different solutions than denser cities more pressed for affordable housing. According to Samia Kirchner, associate professor of architecture and urban design at Morgan State University, policy efforts may have more impact “if they centered on renovating and reoccupying the existing infrastructure, via investment.”