Frederick County selects firm to help with housing assessment, strategic plan
Frederick County will work with an Indianapolis company to develop an evaluation and a strategic plan for housing policy in the county.
The county said Monday that it selected Thomas P. Miller and Associates (TPMA) to create a Housing Needs Assessment and Housing Strategic Plan to help develop its plans for housing and identify needs to help meet the county's housing demand.
The county has faced increased pressure for affordable housing in both the rental and ownership markets, and developing a plan is important to identifying the current and projected needs over the next 10 years, County Executive Jessica Fitzwater said in a news release announcing the agreement.
TPMA was selected based on its experience with housing studies and engaging local communities in those studies, according to the county news release.
The company is based in Indianapolis, according to its website, but also brings experience in Maryland, where it has done several economic and workforce development projects.
Addressing the problem of affordable housing requires getting an understanding the data and hearing from residents, Vincent Rogers, the director of the county's Division of Housing, said in the news release.
Opportunities for people in the community to provide input on the plan are expected to begin later this year.
The project is scheduled to start in October, with TPMA expected to provide a final report to the county by the fall of 2025.
The project will also provide separate data for the city of Frederick, which is helping to pay for the project.
It was not clear Monday how much the report will cost.
Fitzwater pointed out in the release that Frederick County is the fastest-growing county in the state, increasing the urgency for more affordable housing.
A statewide housing needs assessment and strategic plan released in 2021 found that "Increasing the amount that local governments invest in housing programs and development will help increase the supply of deeply affordable homes and services that provide a social safety net in the Washington, DC region," which includes Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George's counties.
According to the county's Division of Planning and Permitting's 2023 annual report, there were 1,673 new residential housing permits issued in 2023, including 1,241 in the city of Frederick.
That number was down 33% from 2022, when the county saw 2,490 permits approved.
The county's population of 271,717 in the 2020 Census is expected to increase by 134,869 people by 2050, according to the county's Livable Frederick comprehensive plan.
The influx is expected to add another 57,300 households to the county, a 58% increase.
The county should expect to increase its housing stock by about 57,000 homes by 2050, according to the plan.
