According to the Montgomery Housing Partnership, Montgomery County should actively seek to preserve affordable housing as it implements the Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan.
In a public presentation to the Montgomery County Council, MHP Senior Project Manager and Legal Counsel Stephanie Rudman generally praised the plan, which was initiated by the Maryland County Planning Council. MHP is the developer of Halpine Hamlet Apartments, a complex of 67 affordable one- and two-bedroom apartments near Twinbrook Parkway.
But Rudman expressed some concern about the possibility of redevelopment that would displace affordable housing options. “To the extent that the sector plan encourages redevelopment along this corridor, the plan should ensure that any potential loss of affordable, market-rate housing is replaced on a one-to-one basis.” She said, “This can best be done by the county actively seeking to identify county-owned sites where affordable housing can be located in this plan.”
The updated corridor plan is designed to:
- Guide future land use along the Veirs Mill Road corridor from Wheaton to Rockville.
- Improve the compatibility of land use adjacent to Veirs Mill Road and the future express bus corridor.
- Improve pedestrian and bicycle accessibility, connectivity, and safety in the plan area.
- Redevelop strategic locations to ensure more pedestrian-friendly and neighborhood-friendly development.
- Apply comprehensive street landscape design and corridor space development opportunities.
