Baltimore City Needs An Effective Inclusionary Housing Law

What is Inclusionary Housing?

The Inclusionary Housing laws require particular developers to set aside a percentage of new apartments to be more affordable and help create a more socio-economically integrated community.

It has been 195 days since the City allowed Baltimore's 14-year-old Inclusionary Housing law to sunset. However, the bill could have been more effective and produced only 37 affordable housing units (apartments) in that period. In 2020, Baltimore City independently identified the Inclusionary Housing Law as its sole impediment to Fair Housing through its Fair Housing Action plan and agreed to prevent the law from expiring. The City failed.

City Council Bill 22-0195 was introduced and sponsored by Councilwoman Odette Ramos in February 2022. A small group of committed Baltimore City nonprofit organizations to work on amendments to the current law to make it more effective. The workgroup produced a