Transportation and Housing Connections In Baltimore

presented at the

MAHRA ConferencePanel: Strategies for Connecting Transportation and Affordable Housing

May 21, 2014

Tamara Woods, City of Baltimore Department of Planning

Baltimore Income

Less than $10,00014.4%

$10,000 to $14,9997.7%

$15,000 to $24,99912.9%

$25,000 to $34,99911.4%

$35,000 to $49,99914.2%

$50,000 to $74,99917.2%

$75,000 to $99,9998.4%

$100,000 to $149,9998.8%

$150,000 to $199,9992.4%

$200,000 or more2.5%

Income in 2010 adjusted dollars $39,368 $38,346

Income Distribution in 2010

Median Household Income 2000 2010

Source: 2000 Census SF3, 2010 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates

Baltimore Transit and Median Income

Baltimore Transit and Median Sales Price

Current Tools for Creating Affordable Housing and Targeting Investment

• Requiring Affordable units with Housing Authority (HABC) and HCD land

• Projects using HOME, City Bond Funds and PILOTS

• Inclusionary Housing Legislation• Planned Unit Developments• Housing Market Typology

Housing Market Typology

Challenges To Creating Affordable Housing Near Transit

• Baltimore is already “Affordable”: Inherent conflict between transit dependent very low income and cost of building new housing

• Areas with cheaper land are lower income, so risk of income segregation

• Cost of Land High cost areas have cost land which prices out

affordable housing Land Assembly is expensive and time consuming Zoning is not in place

Challenges To Creating Affordable Housing Near Transit

• Connect affordable housing to the jobs outside Baltimore City.   

• Need to create a housing market in some neighborhoods Goal to create mixed income neighborhoods Introduce new housing types Reduce vacancy Reduce and redistribute density by reconfiguring

land

• Considering Small Developer Gap Financing tool in CAMP Plan

• Creation of New and Improved Zoning Categories– New TOD Zones– Industrial Mixed Use (I-MU)– Lowering require lot area requirements for

Single Family Detached and Semi-detached Dwelling Units

– Lowering Parking Requirements

Policy Shift: Where We Are Headed

Proposed TOD Zoning Categories

TRANSFORM PROPOSED TOD DISTRICTS  

TOD-1 TOD-2 TOD-3 TOD-4

District Description

Restrictive Height and Limited Mix of Retail Uses  

Restrictive Height and Full Mix of Retail Uses

Significant Height and Limited Mix of Retail Uses

Significant Height and Full Mix of Retail Uses

Minimum Lot Area

Residential: 1,200sf/du Other Uses: None

None Residential: 1,200sf/du Other Uses: None

None

Minimum Building Height

24’ or 2 stories 24’ or 2 stories 24’ or 2 stories 24’ or 2 stories

Maximum Building Height

60’ or 5 stories 60’ or 5 stories 100’

100’; additional height above 100’ (no limit) is permitted by conditional use

100’; additional height above 100’ (no limit) is permitted by conditional use

Oliver: Re-envisioning The Affordable Rowhouse

For sale units a maximum of 80% or 120% of AMI Rental units maximums of 50%- 80% of AMI (based on the funding source). Most tenants and home buyers are under 120% of AMI.

Opportunities: Ice House, Highlandtown and Oldtown

Grocery Store & Parking

Somerset

Homes

Historic Oldtown

Mall

Fire Museum

Mixed-Use

including office

Casino Areas Master Plan• Marketable as an area of

regional housing choice • Capitalize on proximity to

rail and transportation network

• Capitalize on proximity Baltimore, Anne Arundel and Howard counties and Washington, DC.

• Create a better balance between affordable and market rate housing