Why Maryland Can’t Build Enough Housing

Maryland is in the middle of a full‑blown housing crisis — and the consequences are showing up everywhere. For 12 straight years, more Marylanders have left the state than moved in, and the trend is accelerating. As Comptroller Brooke Lierman explains, it’s not just retirees heading south. Younger residents and middle‑income families are leaving too, taking billions in economic activity with them. “I was particularly disconcerted to see how many younger Marylanders are moving away,” she says.

At the center of the problem: Maryland simply hasn’t built enough homes. The state is short roughly 100,000 units today, and needs 590,000 new homes by 2045 to meet projected demand. But for decades, a patchwork of zoning rules, local veto points, and well‑intentioned but restrictive smart‑growth policies have made it harder — not easier — to build where people actually want to live. As Housing Secretary Jake Day puts it, “We’ve done a fantastic job telling people where they can’t build… we never finished the equation.”

In this episode, hosts Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and David Nitkin unpack how Maryland got here, why the state’s “culture of permission” makes development so difficult, and what lawmakers are proposing this session to finally break the logjam. They explore the political dynamics that allow a handful of neighbors to stall desperately needed housing, the unintended consequences of Maryland’s smart‑growth legacy, and why even high‑performing school districts use tools like adequate public facilities ordinances to keep new families out.

Featuring voices from across the housing landscape — developers, preservationists, county leaders, and state officials — this episode offers a clear, grounded look at one of Maryland’s most urgent challenges, and what it will take to build a more affordable future.

In This Episode

• Why Maryland has lost residents to other states for 12 consecutive years
• How a shortage of 100,000 homes is driving up prices and pushing families out
• Why Maryland permits far fewer homes than fast‑growing states like the Carolinas, Texas, and Florida
• How single‑family zoning and decades of layered regulations restrict what can be built — and where
• The unintended consequences of Maryland’s smart‑growth movement
• Why local “permission structures” allow neighbors to block needed housing
• How late vesting rules let opponents kill projects even after approvals
• Why developers say community engagement is essential — but can go too far
• What the Moore administration is proposing this session to accelerate homebuilding
• Why adequate public facilities ordinances often halt development in high‑demand school zones

Key Voices

• Brooke Lierman — Maryland Comptroller
• Jake Day — Maryland Secretary of Housing
• Tom Coale — Land Use Attorney & Housing Advocate
• Chris Mfume — Founder, The Civic Group
• Nick Redding — President & CEO, Preservation Maryland
• Michael Sanderson — Executive Director, Maryland Association of Counties

Why This Episode Matters

Housing shapes everything — affordability, economic mobility, school enrollment, transportation, and the long‑term competitiveness of the state. Maryland’s shortage is already driving residents away, straining local budgets, and limiting opportunities for families across income levels. Understanding how we got here — and why it’s so hard to fix — is essential to understanding the debates unfolding in Annapolis this session.

Whether you’re a renter, a homeowner, a policymaker, or someone trying to understand why housing costs keep rising, this episode offers clarity, context, and a rare inside look at the forces shaping Maryland’s housing future.

Connect With the Show

Questions, comments, or story ideas: [e-mail]

Links & Resources

Maryland Now is brought to you by Blended Public Affairs and produced by Carper Cre8tive.
Blended Public Affairs: https://www.blendedpublicaffairs.com
Carper Cre8tive: https://www.carpercreative.studio   

• (00:00) - Welcome to Maryland Now + Why Housing Is a Full-Blown Crisis
• (01:31) - The ‘Culture of Permission’: How Public Process Slows (or Stops) Building
• (03:27) - Case Study: Lutherville Station, Smart Growth, and Transit-Oriented Development
• (06:44) - The Economic Alarm Bells: Marylanders Leaving, Revenue Loss, and Permit Shortfalls
• (09:17) - How We Got Here: Zoning History, Single-Family Dominance, and Smart Growth’s Missing Half
• (13:20) - Jake Day’s Playbook: Salisbury’s ‘Here Is Home’ Incentives and Fast-Track Permitting
• (15:53) - State vs. Local Power: Starter Homes, Early Vesting, and Fixing Late-Vesting Uncertainty
• (17:52) - When Engagement Becomes Veto Power: Tom Coale & Developers on Delays and Deal-Killers
• (22:34) - Can the 2026 Session Deliver? Counties, Consensus, and the Politics of Reform
• (24:37) - The APFO Debate: Schools, Infrastructure Backlogs, and the ‘Red Light’ on Growth
• (30:43) - What Else Needs to Change: Better Engagement, Parking Minimums, Upzoning, and Messaging
• (34:02) - Change Is Hard: A Personal NIMBY Moment + Closing Thoughts and Credits

Creators and Guests

Producer

Nate Carper of Carper Cre8tive

What is Maryland Now?

Maryland Now is a podcast that goes beyond the headlines to explore the forces shaping Maryland’s politics, policy, and public life. Hosted by Dori Henry, Josh Kurtz, and David Nitkin — three veteran journalists and public‑affairs leaders with more than 60 years of combined experience — the show brings depth, context, and historical perspective to the issues facing Maryland today.

Each episode blends reporting, interviews, and insider knowledge. You’ll hear directly from the people driving decisions in Annapolis and across the state: agency heads, lawmakers, advocates, strategists, and longtime policy experts. The hosts draw on their decades covering and working in Maryland government to connect past decisions to current debates — revealing how we got here, what’s been tried before, and what’s at stake now.

Season One follows the 2026 General Assembly session and election cycle, with deep dives into housing, energy, the state budget, public health, and more. The conversations are smart, candid, and grounded in real reporting — not hot takes.

If you want to understand Maryland — its politics, its communities, and its future — Maryland Now is for YOU