Pr. George’s signs pact with parks and planning group, WSSC to simplify permitting
By Arelis R. Hernández, (The Washington post, August 6, 2014)
Obtaining a license or permit to build in Prince George’s County used to be a headache-filled process that would stretch on for weeks. (Read the full article here)

Interest groups line up behind their choices for Montgomery Planning Board chair
By Bill Turque, (The Washington Post, July 10, 2014)
The five finalists for Montgomery Planning Board chair brought a cover-all-the bases caution to their four-and-a-half hours of interviews with the County Council on Tuesday. (Read the full article here)

Developers target Montgomery County construction fees, surpluses
By Bill Turque, The Washington Post, April 15, 2014
The group representing Montgomery developers has accused the county of accumulating large cash surpluses through excessive fees for building permits and inspections necessary to complete construction projects. (Read the full article here)

Construction and Sales of New Houses in D.C. Area are Rising
By Michele Lerner, The Washington Post, March 21, 2014
Construction and sales of new houses in the Washington region have rebounded since the Great Recession, when activity slowed considerably, and analysts are expecting both to continue rising this year. (Read the full article here) 

Leggett backs lowering some building permit fees charged to developers in Montgomery
By Bill Turque, The Washington Post, November 5, 2013
After months of industry lobbying, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) has agreed to a proposal to lower the cost of building permits for three-to-five-story wood-frame apartment projects. (Read the full article here)

Prince George's doubles down on sprawl
by Bradley Heard, Greater Greater Washington, October 8, 2013
Prince George's County has a backlog of approved, but unbuilt sprawl developments that will soon expire. Planners recommended cutting that backlog, because homebuyers increasingly prefer more compact types of housing near transit. But a council committee recommended letting the sprawl get built anyway. (Read the full article here)

Montgomery County Building Permit Fees Assailed by Developers
By Bill Turque, The Washington Post, August 31, 2013
Woodfield Investments, a Virginia real estate developer, wanted to move forward with plans for Mallory Square, a $40 million, 365-unit apartment complex on Shady Grove Road west of Interstate 270. But Woodfield hit pause when it learned the cost of the Montgomery County building permit: roughly $1.1 million. (Read the full article here)

Charles comprehensive plan passes on 5-2 vote
By Lindsay Renner, SoMD News, Wednesday, August 7, 2013 
The wait is over. Two years and countless debates after the Charles County Planning Commission first began drafting the 2012 comprehensive plan, the controversial document passed during Monday night’s meeting by a 5-2 vote. (Read the full article here)

Improving the Development Process in Montgomery County - Nancy Floreen, Marc Elrich, George Leventhal, Roger Berliner and Nancy Navarro, introduced a council resolution calling on the Department of Permitting Services and M-NCPPC to begin submitting regular reports to the County Council on their development reviews. Read the resolution here.

Montgomery tree canopy legislation applies to even treeless lots 
by Kate S. Alexander, The Gazette, July 26, 2013
A bill passed last week to preserve Montgomery County’s tree canopy doesn’t just replace those that are cut down, but also requires planting new trees where they never existed in the first place, a change suggested by the building industry. (Read the full article here)

After nearly 20 years, future of Clarksburg Town Center plan may be at a crossroads 
By Bill Turque, The Washington Post, July 17, 2013 
Nearly 20 years after plans were drawn, 13 after ground was broken and seven since the developer was forced to sign an agreement to deliver what was promised, the heart of Clarksburg Town Center exists solely on YouTube as a 3-D animation. (Read the full article here) 

Council Committee Approves Measure to Protect Tree Canopy in Montgomery 
By Bill Turque, Washington Post, July 8, 2013
After months of negotiations with builders, a Montgomery County Council committee on Monday approved a bill to prevent loss of tree canopy, especially from new home construction in older downcounty neighborhoods. (Read the full article here)

Prince George’s permit office to open Monday; officials vow faster service
By Miranda S. Spivack, Washington Post, June 28, 2013
Prince George’s officials say their new permitting office is expected to open for business Monday. The Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement, at 9400 Peppercorn Place in Largo, is designed to be a one-stop location where residents and businesses can apply for and obtain permits and licenses. Previously that required separate trips to Largo and Upper Marlboro, and sometimes Laurel and Baltimore, depending on what was needed. (Read the full article here.)

Proposed Montgomery zoning rules look to a more urban county
By Bill Turque, Washington Post, June 8, 2013 
Almost everyone familiar with the Montgomery County zoning ordinance agrees that it is bloated (1,200-plus pages), overly complex (more than 400 land-use categories) and encrusted with antiquated terminology. (Want to open an abattoir? See Section 59-G-2.00.2.) (Read the full article here)

2012 Articles

Existing Home Sales, Housing Starts Jump in August
by Tim Mullaney, USA TODAY, September 20, 2012
The housing market's rebound is gaining strength as foreclosure sales slow and more people who are not in financial trouble put their homes on the market. (Read the full article here) 

The New New-Home Market
Demand for Freshly Built Homes Is Heating Up, and Steep Bargains Are Vanishing Fast. Here's How to Get a Good Deal 
By Ruth Simon, Wall Street Journal,September 7, 2012
Six years after the U.S. housing market tumbled into the abyss, demand for brand-new homes is picking up. Sales are on the rise, and prices in many areas are inching higher. (Read the full article here)

Locked out 
by Michael Neibauer, Washington Business Journal, August 24, 2012
Fairfax, Montgomery struggle to house a workforce whose salaries would be high in any other ZIP code but don’t cut it here. And developers see little incentive to solve the problem. (Read the full article here)

Housing Starts In D.C. Area Increase
by Sabri Ben-Achour , WAMU 88.5, July 22, 2012
After hitting all-time lows in the recession, home building is finally picking up. New numbers from the Department of Commerce show that builders nationwide are breaking ground on more homes than ever. (Read the full article here. Listen to the radio interview here.)

New Home Construction Highest Since 2008
by Shereen Marisol Meraji, Market place Radio, July 18, 2012
Interview with Stephen Paul of Mid-Atlantic Builders, Inc.. Click here to listen to the interview and to read the transcript. 

Prince George’s real estate industry up in arms over proposed fee hike
Lindsey Robbins, The Gazette, May 10, 2012
A Prince George’s County proposal to raise transfer fees on real estate purchases is raising the hackles of the housing industry. (Read the full article here)

Post-recession, building a recovery in Maryland, one home at a time
By Lindsey Robbins, The Gazette, May 4, 2012
Seven years ago, at the height of the housing bubble, the state issued more than 24,000 permits for single-family homes and more than 30,000 for multifamily homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. (Read the full article here)

Commissioners Approve Department Name Change
By Marty Madden, www.BayNet.com, May 2, 2012
The Calvert County Commissioners voted 4-to-1 May 1 to change the name of the Department of Planning and Zoning to the Department of Community Planning and Building. The change will occur July 1. (Read the full article here)

House GOP claims health reform taxes would hurt businesses
By Charles Fiegl, American Medical News, April 26, 2012
Washington House Republicans are objecting to taxes earmarked to fund key health system reforms, saying that raising new revenues from businesses would hinder employers from hiring workers.(Read the full article here)

Citizens Decry Sign Regulations: Public Forum on County Review Spurs Criticisms, Ideas
By Meghan Russell, February 29, 2012
Complaints and new ideas flowed from several dozen attendees at a public forum on county sign regulations Monday night at the fairgrounds. (Read the full article here)

Stephen J. Nardella: Voters View Homeownership as Core Value 
The Gazette, February 17, 2012
In a pivotal election year in which the White House and many of the GOP presidential candidates and members of Congress are ignoring housing and its critical role in the nation’s economy, American voters are sending a resounding message that owning a home remains a core value, and preserving a federal commitment to homeownership and stabilizing and restoring the nation’s housing market must be a top priority for the federal government. (Read the op Ed here) 

Building Industry Group Names Officers 
Southern Maryland News, February, 6 2012
Stephen J. Nardella, senior vice president of operations for Winchester Homes in Bethesda, was installed Jan. 26 as the 51st president of the Maryland-National Capital Building Industry Association. (Read the full article here)

Builders Poll Shows Little Support for Raising Taxes to Clean Bay
by Margie Hyslop, The Gazette, January 30, 2012
In a survey commissioned by the Maryland State Builders Association, fewer than one-quarter of voters agreed the state should increase taxes and fees to pay for cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. (Read the full article here)

Homebuilders Call for Change in State Laws 
WBAL-TV, January 26, 2012
The housing market is still a long way from recovery, and according to WBAL 11 News reporter David Collins, experts said new building regulations are part of the problem. MNCBIA members (including Douglas Shipe, Michael Baldwin and Tom Farasy) testified yesterday before the House Environmental Matters Committee on the state of the housing industry. Read more and see the WBAL video HERE.