Anne Arundel county rejects affordable housing bill amid rising cost of rent

BALTIMORE -- In Anne Arundel County, and the greater Annapolis area, finding an apartment under $2,000 a month is challenging, even with multiple apartment complexes currently under construction. 

However, on Monday night, County Council members sent a proposed bill aimed at making some of those units more affordable back to the drawing board.

Louise Sherricks, an AACO bus driver, shared, "He worked two jobs and he still couldn't keep up with the rent." 

This is a common experience for many Anne Arundel County residents.

According to data from Apartment List, the average rent in Anne Arundel County has increased by more than 22% since 2018. 

"For a two-bedroom? $4,750. That is a lot of money," Anne Arundel County resident Deborah Gundry said.

A bill that would have required most new residential buildings to include reduced-priced units was voted down by Anne Arundel County Council on Monday night. 

The Essential Worker Housing Access Act, drafted by County Executive Steuart Pittman, would have required developers of large-scale building projects to make 15% of units affordable for renters earning $62,000/year or less.

Before the vote, residents like bus driver Louise Sherricks argued the bill was a necessary step to address the housing crisis. 

"We need to be able to house our workforce, people come in from Baltimore County to drive a bus because they can't afford to live here," she said.

Others argued the county should allow for more buildings to increase supply, rather than mandating developers block off a number of units. 

"The best way forward is to complete an affordable housing and land use analysis," said Democrat Allison Pickard, who joined the three Republican council members in voting no, killing the bill, shared, 

After the vote, County Executive Steuart Pittman released a statement calling the outcome a "slap in the face to the large part of our workforce that is priced out of most new homes and apartments being built today." 

In his statement, Pittman says he will instruct his staff to find other ways to encourage developers to build more affordable housing in Anne Arundel County.