Schools Test

The City of Annapolis passed a modified APFO (Bill O-36-15) which includes a schools tests for elementary and middle schools considered closed at 105 percent of Stated Rated Capacity and Annapolis High School considered closed at 120 percent. The MBIA is opposed to this legislation from its inception in 2015 when a draft was introduced that would have created an immediate moratorium on development within Annapolis. The bill as passed includes concessions gained by the industry including a strong grandfathering provision, school capacity limits significantly higher than those initially introduced, an exception for projects of less than 12 units and carve outs for certain priority growth areas within Annapolis.

 

Annapolis Forest Conservation Act

Bill O-22-16, re-writing the Annapolis Forest Conservation Act was referred out of a joint committee of Economic Matters, Environmental Matters and Rules to the full City Council for a vote in September. View the bill and its related documents >>> .  The MBIA has numerous concerns with the bill as drafted and is working with the Mayor and City Council to address those concerns as the bill works its way through the legislative process. Please contact Josh Greenfeld  if you are interested in working on this legislation for the Association.

 

Org Chart

Anne Arundel County Department of Planning and Zoning distributed an updated organizational chart.

Mass Grading

Anne Arundel County Department of Planning and Zoning released new guidance on mass grading permits.

Transform Baltimore Zoning Code Update

The City Council Land Use and Transportation Committee completed voting on amendments to Transform's text and tables. The Committee is now taking up Map Amendments. In the amendment process, the MBIA protected the vast majority of "permitted" uses in all areas of the City, including for residential development, in the use tables and will continue to represent the industry at every voting session to protect the significant gains made in crafting the new zoning code. No new voting sessions are scheduled at this time but the MBIA looks forward to completion of the code by the end of 2016. Please contact Josh Greenfeld if you would like a copy of proposed map amendments for the various City Council districts.

 

Building Relationships

Vice President of Government Affairs, Josh Greenfeld has connected and established strong relationships with every incoming member of the Baltimore City Council. These relationships will be crucial towards making sure Baltimore's strong real estate market is not hampered by excessive regulation or fees from incoming members of the City Council. 

Vouchers

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz introduced legislation requiring that all landlords in Baltimore County accept Section 8 Housing Vouchers (Bill 46-16). This legislation is commonly referred to as "source of income legislation" or at the state level, the "HOME Act." MBIA opposed this legislation at the Baltimore County Council's July 21st work session on the matter. Read MBIA's testimony >>>.

Calvert County Comprehensive Plan Update and Zoning Ordinance Rewrite

The Calvert County Department of Community Planning & Building will be holding concerning the county's update on the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance rewrite process.  Here is a listing of dates and times:

Climate Ready DC

The District of Columbia's Department of Energy and the Environment has released for comment a draft Climate Ready DC Plan that identifies impacts and actions to take on the District's infrastructure such as buildings and development. Comments can be made to [email protected] or through a brief survey until September 2. Public outreach meetings are planned for August 17 and 23 as well as a webinar on August 10 at noon .  Download the plan and for updates on the locations of the public meetings, go to Events. 

ProjectDox Enhancements

Effective July 25, the District's Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs has launched enhanced ProjectDox features that include new notifications, ability to delete uploaded files, an automatic batch approval stamp, and a supervisor project assignment feature.

Conditional Certificates of Occupancy No Longer Issued

Effective September 6, 2016, DCRA will no longer issue Conditional Certificates of Occupancy for residential or commercial occupancies. DCRA will issue CCOs only for limited activities that do not affect the general public, such as stocking a grocery store prior to its opening or for eating establishments to train staff. The COO application is being revised to ask a specific question about whether the applicant used a Third Party Company to conduct the inspections associated with a building permit for the subject property.  Also, the   COO instructions and checklist are being revised.

Residential Sprinkler Tax Credit

At their July 5, 2016 Council Meeting Dorchester County passed Bill No. 2016-3 Residential Sprinkler Tax Credit.  This bill provides a tax credit of $5,000 or the cost of installing a sprinkler system in a new construction house whichever is less.  The house must be built from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2019.  The bill is retroactive to July 1, 2016.  E. Thomas Merryweather, County Attorney, said the passage of this bill does not impact the Council's efforts in seeking relief from State law.