The State Delegation Wants to Exempt 8,732 Homes from Impact Fees

This translates into $235 million in developer profit subsidy.

According to the 2017 Development Monitoring System, 2,147 housing units were built Howard County. The average size of a new home built in Howard County between 2014 and 2017 was 4,018 sq. ft.

At $8 dollars per sq ft, 2,147 homes mean $69 million for schools. Developers received at least $50 million in subsidies in 2017 alone.

It gets worse. Last Wednesday, the delegation spent the majority of its time determining the best way to exempt as many developers as possible for the future. Any housing development at the “technically complete” stage of the Department of Planning and Zoning review process would receive the profit subsidy.

Many did not even know the meaning of the term “technically complete". It is simply an ARBITRARY stage in the review process. Part of the DPZ’s internal process with no connection to any section of the zoning laws. Potentially, any development reviewed by the DPZ has reached this “technically complete” stage.

This is wrong. Why can't they spend a little more time to serve their voters? If a development plan has not received a building permit, it should not be exempt.