Higher Impact Fees Do not Hurt Affordable Housing

For many years, Howard County leaders have neglected affordable housing by giving exemptions, loosening the requirements, charging minimum fee-in-lieu or simply not requiring affording housing in a project.

We have affordable housing problems because county leaders failed to hold developers accountable for decades, by either not requiring affordable housing or giving exemptions in Downtown Columbia, River Hill, Village Centers, Maple Lawn, Turf Valley and many more.

Affordable housing is an afterthought as an issue. It only becomes important when the developers stand to lose. Because developers stand to lose their profit subsidies, their care for affordable housing has somehow magically reemerged.

Raising impact fees will not hurt affordable housing. Politicians and developers who failed to provide affordable housing over the years hurt affordable housing. In fact, those who stand to benefit from higher school impact fees are those in the lower economic ladder because they learn better in less overcrowded schools.

Reject this argument and call for higher fees. Share with your neighbors and friends too!