MACO Housing Panel discusses Uplift program, decreasing permitting burden on development

CAMBRIDGE, Md – Housing Officials from across the state of Maryland meeting at the Winter MACO conference in Ocean City highlighting the state’s challenges and solutions.

Speaking at a panel, Housing and Community Development Secretary Jake Day says across the state Maryland is at least 92,000 houses short.

That scarcity he says hurts the marginalized and low-income communities the most, calling on the state to meet the crisis level with investments.

He tells us how one program, known as UpLift, is making it easier for historically redlined communities to get interest from developers to build affordable units.

“What we have seen is now a dynamic where the cost to redevelop vacant lots or vacant buildings far exceeds what the building is likely to appraise for or sell for,  on the other side of that redevelopment process, the uplift program closes that gap, and the appraisal gap financing program,” Day said.

Secretary Day says for communities like Crisfield, Cambridge, and Salisbury, the program could lead to more development in underserved communities with applications opening this January.

Also at that conference was the Maryland Secretary of Planning Rebecca Flora, who spoke to the state’s future housing needs.

Flora says the state may need to take a larger role when working with counties in determining land use, she says many housing developments are cookie-cutter projects that developers know how to build, but may not suit the needs of the community.

Flora wants to make it easier to permit and approve new housing configurations across the state.

“It’s easy to keep developing the same product and that product is making the market believe that that’s the only product available and that’s what they want, you know, because it’s part of selling. But at the same time, how much do we know about what other product,” Flora said.

Flora tells 47ABC that could include up-zoning existing single-family zoned plots into duplexes, as well as smaller but more affordable aging-in-place housing accommodations for seniors.