Montgomery County
GCAAR Assists on Septic Disclosure, Keeps Material Minimum

Last month, Delegate Pamela Queen introduced bill MC16-19 Sale of Residential Real Property – Septic Systems Outreach Toolkit to the Montgomery County Delegation. The local bill, which effects only Montgomery County, would have required four EPA created flyers to be included in all residential real estate contracts. 

After reviewing the legislation, GCAAR partnered with Maryland REALTORS ® and reached out to Delegate Queen to discuss the bill's impact on real estate contracts. Delegate Queen was very amenable to the amendments and agreed to work with GCAAR on amending the language. After some discussion, an amendment replacing the four-page addition with a simple link to EPA materials was crafted in consultation with GCAAR's Forms Committee and accepted by Delegate Queen. 

The bill received minor and friendly amendments during a Committee hearing and went on to pass nearly unanimously at a full House Delegation meeting on Friday, February 1.

GCAAR will continue to monitor this legislation to ensure members and the industry are given the best environment to thrive.
Accessory Dwelling Unit Zoning Text Amendment Set for Public Hearing

The Montgomery County Council has scheduled a public hearing for Zoning Text Amendment 19-01, Accessory Residential Uses - Accessory Apartments for February 26 at 7:30 pm. The public hearing will precede the Council's Planning, Housing, and Economic Development Committee considering the bill.

Earlier this year, bill sponsor Councilmember Hans Riemer held a community forum on Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs. You can watch the community forum here .

The legisla tion would ease the restrictions on accessory dwelling units. This would increase the number of housing options available.

GCAAR's Public Policy Committee will be reviewing the legislation and weighing GCAAR's position on the issue at their next meeting later this month.

District of Columbia
DCRA
DCRA is Improving - Let Us Know What Changes You'd Like To See
 
The DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs is undergoing an effort to improve its practices. This includes looking into reforms to make things easier on residents and businesses alike.

To aide the department in its efforts, we want to hear about your experiences with DCRA.

Are you happy with the DCRA now? What needs to change? What are the biggest complaints you have with it? What processes are most unnecessarily difficult?

We want to know what you think - so please take this quick five-question survey to let us know. Any information you give is completely anonymous and will be a tremendous help.