Baltimore County is forcing subsidized housing on Parkville

I’m responding to Baltimore

County Executive Johnny Olszewski’s announcement regarding the “largest attainable housing deal in Baltimore County history” (“Baltimore County partners with city developer to exchange affordable housing units for tax breaks,” Feb. 2). This agreement entails the development of 918 subsidized rental units including

258 units at Springs Townhomes in Parkville, 459 units at BLVD at White Springs Apartments in Nottingham and another property in Sparrows Point. Securing $6 million in funding for this initiative was possible through the passage of Bill 4-23, the Housing Opportunities Fund, which narrowly passed the Baltimore County Council in a 4-3 party-line vote.

Advocates highlight the benefits these subsidized rental units will bring to our community. However, it’s crucial to contemplate the principles envisioned by our Founding Fathers — a nation where rights are bestowed by a higher power, enshrined in the Constitution and where government intervention is restrained, allowing citizens to own private property. For generations, individuals have pursued the American Dream, investing in suburban homes like those in Parkville, thereby building and passing down wealth to their descendants, all in pursuit of a better life.

Yet, over the past two decades, politicians in control of Baltimore County have gradually eroded this dream. Initiatives like the Move to Opportunity program in the mid-1990s and the more recent Housing Opportunities Made Equal Act have incrementally expanded subsidized housing options. While purportedly aimed at reducing poverty, these measures risk repeating past failures, reminiscent of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, which often resulted in crime-ridden, blighted neighborhoods trapped in cycles of despair. Homeownership creates generational wealth, whereas expanding rental properties only enriches landlords who donate to Democrats.

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