A Montgomery County lawmaker is pitching some new measures to expand the amount of affordable housing available near mass transit stations, including a bill that would essentially impose rent controls on properties close to transit.
Councilman Will Jawando, D-At large, introduced two pieces of new legislation on the subject Tuesday, a direct response to some of the council’s previous work to incentivize high-rise construction on Metro-owned properties.
One of Jawando’s bills looks to allow the construction of duplexes, triplexes and other small apartment buildings on sites zoned for single-family homes near transit stations to expand the availability of this “missing middle” housing. But, in a proposal that is sure to attract more controversy, he also wants to limit the size of annual rent increases on properties within a mile of any rail station (whether it’s Metro, MARC or the Purple Line) or a half-mile of a bus rapid transit station.
