Governor Wes Moore has signed an executive order to increase housing production across the state. The order improves the use of state-owned land to create more efficient development, reduce state permitting timelines, and bring more homes to market faster in an effort to tackle housing affordability and promote the Moore-Miller Administration’s commitment to addressing Maryland's 96,000 unit housing shortage across the state.

The “Housing Starts Here” executive order:

• Directs the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and the Maryland Department of Transportation, in conjunction with the Maryland Department of General Services, to identify specific state-owned properties for transit-oriented development, paving the way for more homes for Maryland families to be built through improving the use of state-owned land. 

• Promotes government efficiency by reducing state permitting timelines, bringing more homes to market faster while improving the transparency of jurisdictional housing production. 

• Creates a new state housing ombudsman to act as a liaison between the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development and other state agencies, local governments, developers, local communities, and other stakeholders to assist in the permitting process - ensuring development projects continue without delay.

• Directs the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to work with local jurisdictions to create housing production targets for the state, and each county and municipality with planning/zoning authority. The production targets are to be published in January 2026 and updated every five years.

• Establishes annual Maryland Housing Leadership Awards to recognize jurisdictions that make progress on their housing development goals. The awards give jurisdictions bonus points that increase their competitiveness when applying for funding programs through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development.

The signing of this executive order builds off of the Moore-Miller Administration’s 2024 legislative housing package, which made housing more affordable and accessible for Marylanders by removing unnecessary barriers to housing construction; strengthening state financing tools for housing construction and community development investments; and creating the Office of Tenant and Landlord Affairs to better protect renters.