鈥淚f you build it they will come鈥� is a famous movie quote from “The Field of Dreams” that has applied to baseball and even baseball stadiums for decades. But if you build more housing, do the wider roads and other amenities come too?
The building and development industry in Prince George’s County, Maryland, is anxiously watching local legislation that they believe will stymie the very economic growth some county leaders have made a priority. Those on the county council say it鈥檚 putting a stop to sprawl that鈥檚 actually inhibiting the growth everyone seems to want.
Once the county council passes its budget, which could happen as soon as next Thursday, the focus will move to a bill that would restrict where new town house developments could be built. While the word moratorium has been used, in reality, it wouldn鈥檛 put a total stop to new town house communities, but it would essentially restrict them to areas around existing mass transit infrastructure.
鈥淭he biggest concern is it鈥檚 going to disincentivize investment in the county,鈥� said Lori Graf, the CEO of the Maryland Building Industry Association.
For the council members drawing the ire of developers, they see a declining quality of life around the county that is already leading people to move elsewhere.
鈥淲hen you engage in sprawl you undermine the ability to fund infrastructure,鈥� council chair Tom Dernoga said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to rein in sprawl development to try to make it so we can afford the infrastructure.
鈥淥ur public is upset about the lack of infrastructure,鈥� he added. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 all infrastructure. Roads are congested because when you sprawl out there鈥檚 just not enough lanes to handle everything.鈥�
He argued it鈥檚 also causing problems with police and fire responders since they鈥檙e being asked to cover more area at a time when staffing is down in those departments.
鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 realize you need development to pay for infrastructure,鈥� argued Graf. 鈥淒evelopment helps pay for that through our fees, our impact taxes and through other things.鈥�
Council vice chair Wala Blegay said that may be the case, but the revenue generated by town houses doesn鈥檛 cover the costs. She鈥檚 the one leading the bill that would temporarily restrict town house communities.
鈥淭wo hundred town homes only get you a certain amount of taxes,鈥� Blegay said. 鈥淭he amount of money that you have to spend for infrastructure for those 200 town homes is almost triple.
鈥淲e are strapped for cash because of the lack of infrastructure that we have and the money that you get for small town house developments here and there doesn鈥檛鈥� really help,鈥� she argued.
One area where there seems to be consensus is the need to improve the county鈥檚 Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement. Graf said cutting down on the long waits and red tape that goes with getting all the approvals to actually start building projects that have been given the green light is needed, and the council seems ready to increase funding in that agency鈥檚 budget to improve service and response times.
But the budget crunch that鈥檚 taking up most of the council鈥檚 time right now is something that she said will be exacerbated by a new restriction, since fewer homes will get built and less revenue will come in.
Throughout the year, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks has been calling to increase the county鈥檚 commercial tax base, something Harrison believes will come when there鈥檚 a big enough population to demand it.
鈥淥ur dollars are good enough to be spent here in Prince George鈥檚 County,鈥� Councilman Sydney Harrison said.
But Graf said those dollars will get spent elsewhere because restaurants and retailers won鈥檛 come without the population to serve it.
鈥淗igher end retail do look at rooftops and how many people they can serve and if they have concerns about future growth in the county then they鈥檒l look at going elsewhere,鈥� Graf said. She鈥檚 hoping for a fiscal impact study before a final vote occurs.
But Blegay said that previously many developments never delivered on the amenities and new schools that were promised when they were built.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 have your cake and eat it too,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ither we have to focus on building the infrastructure as a county and we slow down some places that we don鈥檛 have the infrastructure, or we increase impact fees and then they pay for a lot more. And, if they鈥檒l be able to pay for all the roadways and even pay for the schools and all of those things, then we can move forward.
鈥淣o one wants that bill,鈥� added Blegay.
This argument is in the background while the council has also prioritized housing affordability. Harrison, who is opposed to the restrictions, said a recent study found the DMV will need more than 300,000 new housing units by the end of the decade.
鈥淲e as a jurisdiction have an obligation and a responsibility that we create the affordable housing options and housing opportunities for all,鈥� Harrison said. 鈥淲hen you look at the opportunity of town home villas, those actually build equity within single family housing units because right now these town home villas, they鈥檙e not your traditional 1970s town house. They are actually town homes that are villas that are very nice.
鈥淭hose are the type of housing options that create affordable housing,鈥� he also argued.
Graf also took note that areas like Arlington and Alexandria are having arguments in the other direction, with government leaders there pushing for denser development.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a national trend to go away from single family zoning and more toward higher density, mixed use development, where you get some retail, you get some town houses, you get some multifamily,鈥� Graf said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 better on your infrastructure because it鈥檚 more condensed, and you get the fees and all that stuff to help pay for a lot of the other infrastructure and you get the amenities people want.鈥�
But Dernoga and Blegay have stressed repeatedly they鈥檙e not flatly against denser development.
鈥淲e鈥檙e supporting a lot of development in places that are smart growth and make sense and we鈥檙e saying don鈥檛 do the development in these other areas that are going to create more problems than they solve,鈥� Dernoga said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to transition that development to better locations that make more sense so we鈥檙e saving in the long run.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 have it both ways,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hirty years of doing the wrong thing and digging yourself a big hole, at some point you need to wake up.鈥�
