BALTIMORE, MD (Monday, July 22, 2024) – Sites in Ten Hills, Edgewood, and South Baltimore are emerging as the ‘hot spots’ for residential development in the Baltimore region, according to the latest Residential Building Permit Activity Hot Spot Report from Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC).
In 2023, 7,298 residential units were permitted in the Baltimore Region. This annual report builds upon data from the region’s building permit information in a standardized database.
BMC Executive Director Mike Kelly says that the Baltimore region’s leaders are evaluating this trend and its implication for the region’s opportunities for wealth-building homeownership and a growing transportation network.
"We expect the region's population to continue growing in the coming years due to our quality of life and economic opportunities," Kelly says. "To support this growth, new families, workers, students and retirees will need more housing options."
BMC will work with the region’s local governments over the coming year to explore the interactions between new and existing homes, the region’s transportation network, economic opportunity, and public sentiment. This includes an upcoming study on fair-housing-related disparities in the region, researching how inequality corresponds to characteristics protected by fair housing laws.
The data in BMC’s Residential Building Permit Activity Hot Spot Report accompanies the 2023 Metropolitan Building Activity Report and provides essential insight for our community. The Metropolitan Building Activity Report details trends in total single-family, multi-family, and mixed-use permitting and includes data on all residential and non-residential construction. Together, these reports provide insight into new regional development patterns across our region.
In 2023, Baltimore City received the most residential unit permits, with 1,944 units permitted. Baltimore County and Harford County followed with 1,674 and 1,149 units permitted, respectively.
The region’s top ten ‘Housing Hot Spots’ significant for residential developments in 2023 were:
- Upton (Ten Hills, Baltimore City) with 761 multi-family units
- James Run (Edgewood/Joppa, Harford County) with 390 multi-family and single-family attached units
- Baltimore Peninsula (South Baltimore, Baltimore City) with 386 multi-family and single-family attached units
- Hunt Valley Town Centre (Cockeysville/Timonium, Baltimore County) with 322 multi-family units
- Arundel Gateway/Watershed (Maryland City, Anne Arundel County) with 233 single-family attached units
- Waters Landing (Essex, Baltimore County) with 181 single-family attached units
- Wellington Farms (Laurel, Howard County) with 171 single-family attached and detached units
- Four Seasons Kent Island (Kent Island, Queen Anne’s County) with 156 single-family detached and multi-family units
- Columbia Village (Columbia, Howard County) with 155 multi-family units
- Perkins Homes (East Baltimore, Baltimore City) with 152 multi-family units
Of the total permits issued in 2023, 45.9 percent of total residential permits were for multi-family developments, while 27.3 percent were for attached single-family homes, and 22.6 percent were for detached single-family homes. In contrast, in 2022, 54.7 percent of total residential permits were for multi-family or mixed-use developments, becoming the majority of permits issued for the first time, while 23.3 percent were for attached single-family homes and 22 percent were for detached single-family homes.
BMC compiles and maintains the region’s building permit information in a standardized database, providing a continual record of plans for new and renovated residential and non-residential projects from all permits with an estimated construction value of $10,000 or more. This helps local and state agencies prepare for anticipated trends as communities grow over time
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Baltimore Metropolitan Council (BMC) works collaboratively with the chief elected officials in the region to create initiatives to improve quality of life and economic vitality. As the Baltimore region’s council of governments, BMC hosts the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB) and supports local government by coordinating efforts in a range of policy areas including emergency preparedness, housing, cooperative purchasing, environmental planning and workforce development.
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