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Council President Friedson and I introduced Zoning Text Amendment (ZTA) 24-01 yesterday, the FAITH (Facilitating Affordable Inclusive Transformational Housing) ZTA. We need to find ways to address our housing shortage and create opportunities for affordable housing. I sincerely appreciate the unanimous support of my colleagues as every member of the Council has chosen to cosponsor this ZTA. I also appreciate the valuable feedback from stakeholders as we drafted this important zoning change. I especially want to thank Action in Montgomery for their support and the input of many of our faith leaders who originally raised the need for a change to help make these opportunities feasible.
Across our country and here in Montgomery County, we have an ever-increasing affordable housing crisis. At the same time, many houses of worship find themselves with an oversupply of land and a lack of ability to best utilize it to support their mission and our broader community. These mission-driven institutions are often at the forefront of supporting our County’s affordable housing challenges, and yet, are currently limited in their ability to put their land to best use to support those shared values.
ZTA 24-01 provides opportunities for the creation of affordable housing by removing obstacles to such development in certain areas of the County and assisting faith-based and private educational institutions to continue their work in serving and supporting the community. By removing the current map amendment requirement and replacing it with a less cumbersome conditional use process, we can reduce the burdens and increase the opportunities for new renters and even first-time home buyers to live in an area that would be unaffordable otherwise.
You can read the full ZTA text at this link and participate in the public hearing on February 27, 2024 at 1:30 PM. Please click on the photo below or visit this link to listen to my introductory remarks to the full Council regarding this ZTA.
The Office of Legislative Oversight (OLO) released their report on Transgender Healthcare in Montgomery County yesterday as well. I requested this report at the beginning of my term last year as I know from the experiences of many families and my own personal experience the difficulties in finding and maintaining gender-affirming care in our county.
The report highlights the transgender healthcare desert here in Montgomery County and provides two recommendations to address this concern. The first recommendation relates to requiring training for healthcare providers on LGBTQIA+ cultural competency to remain licensed, registered, or certified in the State of Maryland. The second recommendation relates to establishing a dedicated, safe, and affirming space for the LGBTQIA+ community in the County, providing a single point of access for local government resources, service providers, residents, and other community organizations.
I look forward to working with members of the community, my colleagues, and the County Executive to advance the recommendations and put in place other programs and policies to ensure the County provides the needed services and care.
You can read the full report at this website.
Celebrating 150 years of community, St. John’s Episcopal Church presents Finding Common Ground – a series of engaging town halls. Join us for a discussion on supporting our LGBTQIA+ community on Sunday, January 21st from 1 - 2:30 PM.
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Office of Councilmember Kate Stewart
