BALTIMORE, MD (Friday, August 18, 2023) – Sites in South Baltimore, Crownsville and Maryland City top 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).
The report does not include data from Baltimore County. Due to a change in software in Baltimore County, permit information from November 2021 through December 2022 was unavailable for collection. For this reason, the report’s scope is limited to Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford, Howard, and Queen Anne’s Counties, and comparisons to previous years are adjusted to exclude Baltimore County.
The rate of permits issued for new housing in the Baltimore region in 2022 fell 9.3 percent from 2021. Changing market conditions and increased interest rates on borrowing contributed to the slowdown in new permits, along with many local, regional, and global factors.
BMC Executive Director Mike Kelly says that the Baltimore region’s leaders are assessing this trend and its implication for the region’s transportation network and opportunities for wealth-building homeownership.
“Our forecasts anticipate continued population growth across the region in the coming years driven by quality of life and economic opportunity,” Kelly says. “New families, workers, students, and retirees will need places to live in order to help sustain that growth.”
Kelly adds that 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 coordinating affordable housing and transportation planning, as well as continuing the Regional Project-Based Voucher Program to create new life opportunities for low-income families.
The data and insight in BMC’s Residential Building Permit Activity Hot Spot Report and the accompanying Metropolitan Building Activity Report provide important context for this work.
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 can help local and state agencies prepare for anticipated trends as communities grow and change over time.
Baltimore City’s South Baltimore regional planning district received the most residential unit permits in 2022, with 960 units permitted. Anne Arundel County’s Crownsville and Maryland City came in second and third, with 767 and 463 units permitted, respectively.
The region’s top ten ‘Housing Hot Spots’ for major residential developments in 2022 were:
- Stadium Square (South Baltimore, Baltimore City) with 650 mixed-use units
- Beacon Square (Crownsville, Anne Arundel County) with 508 mixed-use units
- Watershed Liberty (Maryland City, Anne Arundel County) with 304 attached single-family units
- Fieldside Grande (Aberdeen, Harford County) with 288 multi-family units
- The Quill (South Baltimore, Baltimore City), with 270 multi-family units
- Arinc Property (Crownsville, Anne Arundel County) with 250 multi-family units
- 3025 West Cold Spring Lane (Lower Park Heights, Baltimore City) with 165 multi-family units
- Watershed Gateway (Maryland City, Anne Arundel County) with 159 attached single-family units
- Tanyard Shores (Marley Neck, Anne Arundel County) with 156 detached and attached single-family units
- Perkins Homes (East Baltimore, Baltimore City) with 156 multi-family and attached single-family units
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. In 2021, multi-family and mixed-use accounted for 41 percent of permits, while 26.4 percent were for attached single-family homes and 32.6 percent were for detached single-family homes.
The Metropolitan Building Activity Report has more detail on trends in total single-family, multi-family, and mixed-use permitting. Released alongside the Residential Hot Spot report, the Building Activity Report includes data on all residential and non-residential construction. Due to significant small-scale development in these areas, it shows Kent Island, Bel Air/Fallston, and Ellicott City are among the region’s top 10 planning districts.
This report also looks at permits issued to convert non-residential space – including historic buildings – to residential units. This type of development is usually concentrated around Baltimore City’s Metro Center.
###
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.
BMC operates its programs and services without regard to race, color or national origin in accordance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other applicable laws. Appropriate services can be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities or those in need of language assistance who submit a request at least seven days prior to a meeting. Call 410- 732-0500. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-735-2258 to initiate a TTY call through Maryland Relay. Si se necesita información de Título VI en español, llame al 410-732-0500.