2026 Candidate Questionnaire
County Council District 3
Allison Eriksen (D)
Website: allisonformoco.com
Find all candidate questionnaires here.
Housing Leadership
In your view, why are many Montgomery County residents struggling to afford housing?
Wages have not kept up with inflation or with rising property values and rents. This is a nationwide issue. In Montgomery County specifically, there has been a lack of investment in affordable housing and in policies that discourage landowners from speculation or collusion in setting rental pricing.
What is one housing initiative you would plan to spearhead, if elected?
I am particularly interested in the blighted and vacant properties already in the county. I want to find a way to incentivize the owner of these empty buildings, some of which are apartment buildings that could house hundreds of people, to either renovate them and get them back in the housing supply, or sell it to someone who will. I suspect that many owners are sitting on these properties with the hope that they'll be more valuable to sell later on, but that does nothing to address the housing crisis we have now.
Zoning, Supply, and Housing Prices
In your view, how does current zoning policy in Montgomery County affect the supply and price of housing?
The past of restrictive zoning has harmed our county's ability to provide adequate housing for our population. Some steps have been taken to open us single family zoning to more diverse types of housing like duplexes and townhomes, but the regulations are still too restrictive on where they can be built. This strained supply as demand over the last several years increased in the region (until recently). Fewer people are having large families now, but there is a lack of housing options between an apartment and a large single family home that may not fit your needs. These smaller units are more affordable but in scarce supply due to the zoning choices of the County.
What changes would you support to Montgomery County’s zoning policies to support greater housing affordability?
Democratic voters in Montgomery County were surveyed by Data for Progress and overwhelmingly support loosening single-family zoning to create more housing options, including 64% of homeowners! I support loosening SFZ restrictions and encouraging the building of housing with smaller footprints (town homes, duplex, triplex, small apartment buildings, and ADUs) that can be more affordable and have a smaller environmental impact.
As someone who does not live in a single-family home, I want there to be more options for people, especially as average family sizes have gotten smaller and some of the older generation consider right-sizing their homes.
I also support removing parking minimums near transit to encourage transit use and make neighborhoods more walkable and appealing. We should encourage more dense housing near transit hubs and services.
Affordable & Market-Rate Housing
Please explain what you see as the role that each of these types of housing play in the housing landscape in Montgomery County, and the needs they fill for Montgomery County residents:
a. Affordable (subsidized) housing
People of all classes and income levels deserve to live in this county, and that means that there will be a need for subsidized housing. We have residents with disabilities that preclude them from paid work, low income residents, students, seniors, people who have lost their housing, and others who may need subsidized housing at one time or another. Subsidized housing has an important role to play to ensure that our neighbors are not priced out of the county due to their circumstances. I don’t want to live in a county where retail workers, teachers, and other workers have to commute in from another county because they can’t afford to live where they work. I don’t want us to be a county where disabled people or the elderly can’t afford to live because housing costs exceed the income they receive. Subsidized housing should also provide legal protections (such as rent control/stabilization and just cause rights for tenants) for the people living there to ensure that they have stability, should be able to accommodate families, and provide a safe living environment.
b. Market-rate (unsubsidized) housing
Market-rate housing should be something that most working people and families can afford. Unfortunately, that is increasingly not the case in Montgomery County due to a number of factors. Market-rate housing should be a majority of housing, but not the sole option. I believe that market-rate housing in the county also needs to have protections for renters to ensure stability and prevent exploitation, including just cause rights for eviction and the ability for renters to have predictable housing costs over time. Market-rate housing should be integrated with subsidized housing and market-rate developments should include subsidized units.
What is one policy change in each area that you would pursue, if elected?
a. Affordable (subsidized) housing
Extend the control period governing for-sale Moderately Priced Dwelling Units.
b. Market-rate (unsubsidized) housing
Increase the supply of housing by loosening zoning restrictions for smaller units in single family home zoning.
Transportation & Smart Growth
What would you do to prioritize transit frequency and access if elected?
First, I love that the RideOn bus has gone fare-free in Montgomery County. However, if elected I will push MCDOT to find ways to better connect areas with housing, shopping, and services. As a user of RideOn, I have found routes lacking in connecting me to places I need to go. It is usually easier for me to get to Rockville than to other areas of Gaithersburg where shopping and services are concentrated. RideOn is very good for getting around the County, but sometimes less good for getting around town, and if we want to meet our climate goals, we need to entice more people to use transit by making it appealing and easy to get where you’re going.
What would you do to ensure safe walking and biking access to transit, stores, schools and services for residents of existing and new housing?
Ideally, housing will be prioritized near existing transit, stores, and services. In areas where it is not, MCDOT will assess needs and make changes to bus routes, as it already does on a regular basis. I will push MCDOT to find ways to better connect housing areas with shopping, transit, and services. As a user of RideOn, I have found routes lacking in connecting me to places I need to go. Housing should include sidewalks to multi-use paths for safe walking to nearby areas. I will also propose that the MCDOT, in consultation with bike users and existing organizational stakeholders (ex: WABA), create a proposal for street spaces that can increase bike accessibility through dedicated bike lanes in areas of housing development. I pass by King Farm frequently and see the one block long bike lane that was installed as part of the project - attached to a sidewalk on either end and next to Rockville Pike that I wouldn’t risk my life to try to bike on, despite the signs assuring me that I can legally do so. Bike lanes should not be disconnected standalone lanes that are difficult to access and do not make sense. Cyclists and bike commuters need to be consulted and listened to in the feedback process so that the projects make sense and meet the needs of users. Bikers and pedestrians should be part of the conversation about road infrastructure, just like we would expect drivers to be.
Community Input & Stakeholder Engagement
What organizations, stakeholders, datasets, or other sources of information would you turn to to understand the nuts and bolts of housing policy implementation, and how to craft effective policies that meet Montgomery County’s housing needs?
I rely on data and experts to develop my policy stance. To that end, I use peer-reviewed studies on what other municipalities and states have implemented and what results they had from a particular policy. I also rely on information provided by local organizations with experience in housing policy and providing services to different constituencies, such as the Housing Opportunities Commission, the Montgomery County Renters Alliance, and organizations helping people exit homelessness, like the Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless.