By Lori Jaffe
The Attainable Housing Strategies Initiative (AHSI) is essentially the MoCo Planning Board and County Council’s attempt to put our county into compliance with the United Nation’s 15-Minute City concept. But do 15 Minute Cities really work? As often happens when governments follow the leader without thinking about the consequences, our Montgomery County government appears to be behind the curve. If they had only done their due diligence, they would not be under fire now. You can email the Planning, Housing and Parks Committee to register your opposition to the initiative (see below) and sign the petition. (Note that a financial contribution is NOT required - you can X out of the solicitation, and your signature will still be recognized.)
Do 15 Minute Cities work? This past May, Rachel Meltzer wrote, “As the densest big city in the country, New York is a place where a 15-minute city would be most likely to succeed; instead, we observe retail space being added to every neighborhood of the city even as tenants for those spaces retreat. Years of over-zoning and over-building for retail space may be a central reason why the city remains laden with vacant storefronts. Even neighborhoods with 50,000 people per square mile cannot support this pace of growth in regulated retail. Los Angeles’ retail excess was more concentrated in select neighborhoods, as land uses are more segregated and the population more spread out. In short, we have been planning for retail amenities in cities without acknowledging the global shifts that have reduced demand for brick-and-mortar services.”
This is not new. Three years ago, even the elites at the World Economic Forum, questioned the 15-minute city concept. “And 15-minute communities do little to alter the harsh realities of economic and geographic inequality. They promise close-by amenities and luxurious walkability for the well-to-do urban gentry. They are mainly a fit for affluent urban neighbourhoods and far less a fit in the disadvantaged parts of our cities. As Harvard University’s Ed Glaeser points out, less advantaged groups are hardly able to live their life in their own disadvantaged neighbourhoods, which lack jobs, grocery stores and amenities found in more upscale communities.”
So, what information did the Planning Board use to develop the AHSI? The Westmoreland Citizens Association listed some questions and concerns brought up at the September 25th listening session, including:
“Lack of data analysis. Many felt that the AHSI recommendations are not supported by any data, or that what data was used was outdated and flawed. One woman commented that accessory dwelling units ("ADUs") were authorized on single-family plots years ago, with the intent that they increase attainable housing, but the County has not analyzed the inventory, the rent prices, who is living in them, etc. There are lessons to be learned from the ADUs that the County is ignoring.”
“Lack of impact studies on what makes Montgomery County attractive. Many were dismayed by the dismissive attitude of the planners and the Council regarding secondary impacts of housing densification, and the fact that no impact studies had been shared with the public (or even conducted). The impact on schools was a dominant concern, as was the danger of more traffic congestion and more cut-through traffic on residential streets. Because builders do not have to include adequate parking under the AHSI, street parking will increase to the detriment of neighbor character. Stormwater drainage and damage to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed has also not been addressed, as with increased strain on utilities. Loss of tree canopy and related wildlife, like birds and bunnies, was also discussed.”
Please make your voice heard by contacting the Planning, Housing and Parks Committee.
__________
Lori Jaffe is the Party Secretary for the Montgomery County Republican Central Committee, volunteer coordinator and Member of the Executive Board. She can be reached at [email protected]
