Substandard? Who you callin’ substandard?
The Worcester County Commissioners publicly grilled a pair of housing consultants Tuesday over the results of a new study that deemed more than half of homes countywide as “substandard” or having lower quality construction.
At issue was the ramification that the study results, if taken seriously by the state of Maryland, could force Worcester County into building new higher-density residential properties, officials noted.
Commissioner Chip Bertino said he found the assertion “absolutely bizarre” and pressed the consultants to define what they meant.
“What does it mean? Insulation, windows? I mean, what is it?” said Bertino (District 4, Ocean Pines). “You’re labeling our county as having 54 percent, in this report, as lower quality. That’s crazy. And you’re not able to define that. I’m assuming we paid for your services.”
The 127-page report, funded by the state, from the Colorado-based Matrix Design Group, released Sept. 22, found that Worcester County’s housing market is in an affordability crisis. It painted a stark picture of a housing market where prices are outpacing incomes, and young families are stretched thin by skyrocketing rents.
The study took from census statistics, planning documents, and online real estate website data. Its results also sourced a survey of 673 residents and stakeholder interviews.
It also found that, based on an assessor’s 9-point scale, that 54% of county homes scored 4 or below – into the realm of a “substandard” rating.
Nothing like MD taxpayers spending $50K to Coloradons to lay the groundwork for Less Moore and Jake Day to ram it up you know where!