Your Road to MACoCon Podcast Playlist, Powered by The Briefing Room

Heading to MACo’s Summer Conference? Of course you are, and The Conduit Street Podcast's The Briefing Room has your drive covered. As county leaders, partners, and policy professionals make their way to MACoCon this week, The Briefing Room is trading a new episode for a chance to catch up on our latest deep-dive series. Over the last six episodes, MACo’s Dom Butchko and Baltimore County Director of Housing & Community Development Terry Hickey have taken…

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Baltimore Seeks New Fee Structure To Maintain City-Owned Conduit System

Baltimore City is proposing a new fee structure for companies that use its municipally owned underground conduit system, an effort aimed at providing sustainable funding to maintain and modernize one of the city's most important pieces of public infrastructure. The proposal would establish a $4.05 per linear foot franchise fee for Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE) and other conduit users beginning January 1, 2027. The rate would also be adjusted for inflation moving forward. Baltimore's…

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Deep Dive: A Four-Year Review of Major Housing Bills

This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top policy issues of the day. Every four years, the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) publishes its Major Issues Review, highlighting major policy debates and legislation enacted during the preceding legislative term. Few issues received greater attention during the 2023–2026 term than housing. Governor Wes Moore made housing affordability a central component of his first major legislative agenda…

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The Briefing Room: The Office-To-Housing Challenge

Converting empty offices into housing sounds like a straightforward way to address two challenges at once, but the financial and physical realities are often far more complicated. In Episode 6 of The Briefing Room’s housing finance series, Dom Butchko and Terry Hickey are joined by Tim Karp of JPMorgan Chase to explore the office-to-housing challenge and what separates a viable conversion from a project that is unlikely to move forward.   Tune in to the…

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From Need to New Units: Financing Affordable Housing Development 

Hear how project financing can help unlock the production of more affordable units.  Affordable housing remains one of the most pressing challenges facing Maryland counties, but transforming community need into completed units often depends on whether projects can secure workable financing. Rising construction costs, interest rates, and funding gaps can make it difficult to move rental developments, starter homes, and homeownership opportunities from concept to completion. By focusing on financing tools, public programs, and locally…

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Seattle Limits Environmental Appeals to Streamline Housing Development

Seattle’s reforms offer lessons for streamlining housing reviews while preserving key safeguards. Seattle eliminated an administrative appeals process that had delayed major zoning reforms and housing development. Environmental reviews remain in place, but challenges must now proceed through the courts or the state’s growth management process. Supporters argue that the former system added months to project timelines while rarely producing meaningful changes, increasing costs and uncertainty as the city works to expand housing supply. Maryland…

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Montgomery County Streamlines Development Review To Attract Major Employers

Montgomery County has approved a new zoning initiative designed to accelerate development of large, job-creating projects, as part of an effort to attract new employers, strengthen economic competitiveness, and spur private-sector investment. The Job Creation Project zoning amendment establishes an expedited development review process for projects that create at least 200 net new jobs and meet certain economic development criteria. Eligible projects include those in strategic industries identified in the county's Economic Development Strategic Plan,…

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The Briefing Room: Smith Island Cake Effect

Housing costs rarely rise because of one single policy, fee, or requirement. More often, they build layer by layer until the numbers no longer work. Capturing a Maryland icon, a housing advocate started to tag the layer-upon-layer of process as the "Smith Island Cake Effect." Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to the Conduit Street Blog and stay in the know!

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Cement Tariffs Increase Costs to Produce Housing and Infrastructure

New proposed tariffs on Canadian cement and concrete will likely increase costs to produce housing and infrastructure.  New tariffs on Canadian imports could significantly increase the cost of cement and concrete used in highways, bridges, foundations, multifamily developments, and other major construction projects. Contractors may face outdated cost estimates, higher bids, project delays, reduced scopes, and disputes over whether owners or builders are responsible for unexpected price increases. Rising material prices add further pressure to…

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The Briefing Room: Inside the Private Side of Housing Finance

Building affordable housing takes more than public funding. Private lenders and investors play a critical role in turning plans into completed projects. In Episode 4 of The Briefing Room's housing finance series, Dom Butchko and Terry Hickey are joined by Jordan Bishop of JPMorganChase to explore the private side of the capital stack - the financing that helps transform housing plans into completed communities.   Tune in to the Conduit Street Podcast weekly, wherever you…

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