After years of lagging job growth, Montgomery County leaders are trying to hit the reset button with a new economic development strategy — and that includes a vision for plenty of new housing in the coming years.
The County Council rolled out a comprehensive plan to lure businesses back to the Maryland suburb Tuesday, outlining several broad focus areas for lawmakers over the coming months: transportation, housing, workforce development and business development. The council’s various committees plan to work up proposals on improving the county’s prospects on each issue and deliver recommendations for policy changes by February 2020.
During an event in Rockville, officials said they’re aware the county is struggling to keep pace with its neighbors and see a need for a new direction, considering the county’s history. They’re especially interested in bringing in new residents to beef up the local workforce for potential employers, and cutting down on commutes by locating homes closer to job centers.
“If we’re proactive, this county’s image will change,” said Bob Buchanan, a longtime Montgomery County developer and head of the regionally focused 2030 Group. “People will notice, people will come and they’ll give us the benefit of the doubt.”
Like the rest of the region, many researchers believe the county needs to increase its supply of available homes in order to meet the growing affordability challenges facing many renters. Yet Montgomery has long struggled to meet the infrastructure demands of new development, prompting construction freezes in some of its most desirable areas, like Bethesda and Silver Spring.