Montgomery County Councilmembers Will Jawando and Kristen Mink have become the first two members to voice their opposition to a controversial plan that would retroactively end single-family home zoning in much of the county.
It’s called the Attainable Housing Strategies and it was proposed by the county zoning board in July 2024. Since then, thousands of county residents and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich have spoken out against the plan which would allow duplexes, triplexes, quads and in some cases small apartment buildings where currently only single-family homes are allowed.
Jawando was the first to say he believes the plan should be paused.
“It recommends sweeping changes to zoning that could affect large parts of Montgomery County. After studying the AHSI recommendations in detail, and hearing the outpouring of concern from the community regarding the recommendations – through listening sessions, correspondence, neighborhood visits, and one-on-one conversations all around the County – I believe we should pause consideration of these recommendations at this time. The reasons are clear. First, residents across the County have raised thoughtful concerns about how these changes could impact our already overburdened schools, infrastructure, utilities, and environment. While the Planning Board has spent a great deal of time on these recommendations, these fundamental questions from our community deserve further consideration,” Jawando said in a statement.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Brad Bell over at WJLA News Channel 7
