BALTIMORE (AP) - Maryland has reached an agreement with the federal government to resolve a housing discrimination complaint challenging the fairness of the state's low-income housing tax credit program.
As part of the settlement announced Tuesday, the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development has agreed to increase the number of affordable housing units by up to 1,500, at least 1,000 of which will be new construction. The state also agreed that it would not require local officials to approve affordable housing projects, a policy housing advocates said was perpetuating discrimination.
The complaint filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2011 alleged that such policies were resulting in affordable housing projects being disproportionately clustered in less desirable areas.
