Garrett County Board of REALTORS recently hosted an Affordable Housing Forum at Garrett College to discuss current projects, efforts throughout the county, and field questions from the public. The event was open to the public and free for those to attend, providing a delicious spread for lunch, thanks to a grant from the National Association of REALTORS (NAR). The forum was organized by the Garrett County Board of REALTORS Affordable Housing Committee and featured four speakers: County Commissioner Paul Edwards, local attorney Liz Georg, board member Terah Crawford for Garrett Workforce Housing Alliance, and Chris Mullet from Community Action.
The main topic that was covered was an update on the current pilot project in Grantsville, where the county plans to oversee the building of 60 units. The funding for the first phase of this project has been secured through a few local grant opportunities and will cover the infrastructure to be built to start the development. This will include roads, utilities, and stormwater management. The project will likely break ground later this year. While the team of organizers have been in contact with local builders, bids for the construction phase of the project have not been sent out.
The project, when finished, will feature 60 total units consisting mostly of Single-Family Homes with some townhomes and some condos. There will likely be a few of these units reserved for long-term rentals. The land is owned by a trust, which will dictate how the sale of the home works, and how any future sale of that home would work. The county is still discussing the best way to fairly allocate the purchases of these homes, but it will not be an income-based process. The primary goal is to simply provide affordable housing options in a more controlled setting that is not impacted as greatly by the housing market.
Phase 2 of this project will take place in McHenry, and phase 3 will take place in Oakland. Each phase will look slightly different as the total units and types of units may change based on that location’s needs.
While this is a truly exciting project, it will take time to complete. In the meantime, those looking for affordable housing options in Garrett County should contact Garrett County Community Action, a local lender, or their REALTOR, for more information on current programs that are being offered to help first time homebuyers in our area. In many cases, those who qualify for these programs receive down payment assistance that can make the buying process much easier. You can find more information about some of these programs on our blog.
