The Baltimore City Council advanced two bills yesterday that would significantly change its inclusionary zoning policies. One bill would require market-rate housing developers to reserve more units for deed-restricted, low-income housing in their projects. The other bill would give tax credits to qualifying projects in order to defray the cost of renting some units at below-market rates. Local housing providers oppose both proposals, saying that each would complicate how projects perform and how they attract capital. Likewise, the city’s own Department of Finance also opposes the proposals, which it says would hamper new development and worsen the city’s already insecure financial position. – The Baltimore Sun
