Chesapeake Neighbors’ Executive Director, Judi Olinger, presented alongside Easton Mayor Megan Cook and Ross Benincasa of Rivers & Roads Consulting on the benefits of scattered-site affordable housing at this year’s Maryland Municipal League Conference in Baltimore.
Scattered-site housing is deeply aligned with Chesapeake Neighbors’ mission of creating quality, affordable housing for all across the greater Chesapeake region. Scattered-site housing is a way of creating affordable housing options within existing neighborhoods and communities, often by using existing single-family homes, townhomes, or units as affordable housing.
“Unlike traditional large housing projects, scattered-site housing units are exactly what they sound like – spread out in various neighborhoods, enabling families to integrate organically into diverse communities,” said Judi Olinger. “Residents have better access to amenities like schools, parks, and healthcare, and there is less social stigma around their housing because it isn’t separate.”
Increasing the affordability of housing is an ongoing conversation across the state of Maryland, and the scattered-site housing model provides many solutions in terms of reducing commuting times, providing more housing options to families and young professionals, and sustaining community growth with a localized workforce. Chesapeake Neighbors has successfully developed scattered-site housing throughout Anne Arundel County and in several locations on the Eastern Shore.
“Scattered-site housing allows for new ways to revitalize neighborhoods, repurpose older structures, and bring underused or vacant properties back onto the tax rolls,” said Ross Benincasa of Rivers & Roads Consulting. “Reducing infrastructure strain and preserving the historical integrity of communities are other important reasons to invest in this movement.”
Within the next few years, Chesapeake Neighbors will have multiple and/or improved new scattered-site housing opportunities available to the public, including The Primrose House, and The Residences at Port Street, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore and The Residence at WB&A in Anne Arundel County. These new or improved units will be new real-life examples of the tangible and intangible ways that scattered-site housing works to increase the diversity, strength, and vitality of our communities.
You can read our White Paper on Scattered-Site Housing here: https://bit.ly/491x3M2
