In 2017,Elrich declared his candidacy for county executive. He participated in public financing. The largest allowed contribution is $150. He did not accept money from developers or land use attorneys. [24]
Positions on housing and development
In 2013,Elrich was the lone vote to oppose a plan to preserve affordable housing along the Purple Line light rail corridor. [27] In 2017,Elrich was criticized for describing the council's plan to allow denser housing construction around the stations of the planned 16-mile Purple Line as "ethnic cleansing". [28] He said he was sorry if his language was offensive,but he defended his comment saying that this is not just a Montgomery County problem but a nationwide problem and a "well-known fact" of what happens when rail lines take over communities. [29]
During his tenure,Elrich has said he has tried to preserve affordable housing. [30] [31] [32] Elrich has opposed market-rate housing construction, [33] [30] and higher density near public transit stations. [2] He has opposed allowing duplexes,fourplexes and sixplexes in some neighborhoods that are exclusively zoned for single-family housing. [34] [35] In 2019,Elrich opposed a nonbinding council resolution to build 10,000 more housing units (most of them affordable housing) by 2030,saying that the county cannot afford to build that much affordable housing. [36] He has cast doubt on projections by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments on the need for more middle-income and low-income housing. [37] [36] In 2019,Elrich said that he rejected the concept of missing middle housing,and said that Montgomery County did not lack housing for middle earners. [38]
In 2019,he opposed a zoning change that allowed homeowners on single-family zoning plots to build accessory dwelling units,saying that it would "fundamentally alter" neighborhood character and not lead to more affordable housing – the zoning change was approved unanimously by the council. [36] In 2019,he said he would prevent tearing down affordable housing to "build housing for millennials." [39] In 2020,Elrich vetoed a bill giving tax breaks to developers who built high-rise buildings on top of Metro stations,but the council overrode his veto. [33] Elrich has frequently called for higher taxes on real estate developers. [36]
Housing activists have characterized Elrich as a NIMBY. [33] [40]
Elrich voted against the White Flint Mall II sector plan because Elrich stated that the plan would have created 6,000 residential units located too far from a Metro station. [41] He voted against the Bethesda Master Plan because it failed to consider the effect the increased density would have on roads and schools. [42] He voted against the Lyttonsville Sector Plan because he stated that it would increase housing costs and force residents to move out, [43] as well as the Chevy Chase Lake Sector Plan. [44] He opposed a proposal to sell land adjacent to the White Oak Food and Drug Administration campus because local roads and infrastructure were not equipped to handle additional traffic and students. [45] In 1995,he joined with community members and fought against a proposed mega mall in downtown Silver Spring. [6]
