Montgomery County Planning Executive Director Rollin Stanley pointed out recently that the county’s urban planning faces a turning point. He said while statistics show that the Gen Y group wants urban-lite locations, only 2.6 percent of the county’s land is fit for that kind of concentrated development.
“If we provide more opportunities in White Flint, Takoma Langley, Kensington and Wheaton for example, then we offer an alternative to D.C. that is more affordable, accessible and diverse,” he wrote on his blog.
But here’s another problem with attracting a younger population to the burbs: the county’s median house price of $460,000 “is unattainable to anyone making the area median income” Stanley said — not to mention the high-priced rental units found just about everywhere south of Germantown.
This means that if it doesn’t make changes to attract younger residents (who aren’t made of money), Montgomery County’s business and economic development will stall.
“This is a serious social and economic development issue,” Stanley said. “When people cannot gain access to our service sector jobs, then we are not competitive in business.”
