Montgomery and Prince George’s counties need to take action now to preserve 17,000 affordable homes along the path of the Purple Line, according to a new action plan developed by a coalition of public and private sector groups.
The Purple Line Corridor Coalition rolled out a new document Thursday detailing the steps local officials need to take to simultaneously take advantage of the development opportunities created by the new light rail line, designed to link Bethesda and New Carrollton, while also protecting existing affordable homes. Otherwise, nearly half of the 170,000 people living along the rail corridor could be priced out of their homes, the new report argues.
The coalition — which includes both counties, private developers and a host of other housing and smart growth-focused groups — is calling for a variety of policy changes to keep homes affordable along the line’s future route, specifically targeting those affordable to families making about $70,000 a year. The recommendations range in ambition from zoning changes around transit stations to new investments in affordable housing programs to new construction on public land.
The two counties agreed in principle two years ago to protect affordable housing along the Purple Line corridor, but didn’t outline many details about how to achieve that broad goal. This newly released plan represents an effort to put a bit more meat on the bones of that agreement, laying out dozens of steps officials can take between now and the end of 2022, when the first passengers should be boarding Purple Line trains.