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<aside> ℹ️ Team Members
Ellie Hoke
Loraine
Brian Poon
www.linkedin.com/in/brian-poon06
Jacqueline Mbumba,
www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-mbumba-1801a9347
Lea Hamdan,
www.linkedin.com/in/lea-hamdan-6335b9302
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For this project, our team decided to examine the phenomenon that in the city of Gaithersburg, MD, where there is a disproportionate number of households spending 50% or more of their income on rent within 1 square mile of Brown Station Elementary School, compared to the city average. A consequence of this is that both teachers and families of students struggle to make ends meet and face financial hardships, increasing education, housing instability, and displacement risk. We chose this specific area of the city because it serves as a good case study for the effects that housing inequality can have on a particular sector of the city. This phenomenon is representative of a larger issue experienced by the city, which is a lack of affordable housing contributed by the city’s lack of rent stabilization law. As a result, Gaithersburg’s significant renter population is left vulnerable to larger market-driven price hikes, contributing greatly to the lack of affordable housing issue. In contrast, its county, Montgomery County, has enacted laws limiting annual increases to the rate of inflation plus 3% (capped at 6%), protecting neighboring cities from extreme rent hikes.
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Solution: Rent caps & Tax exemptions
What does this target: This addresses the renter protection gap, as Gaithersburg is exempt from these protections, leaving renters exposed to larger market-driven hikes.
In order to implement rent caps and tax exemptions, we could collect data on rent burdens, such as residents spending over 30% of their income on housing as well as displacement, thereafter forming a coalition with relevant stakeholder and engaging county officials. With this information in hand, we can then draft a proposed ordinance and introduce it before the City Council, similar to the one in Montgomery County which limits annual increases to the rate of inflation plus 3% (capped at 6%). In order to convince the City Council of the important of this ordinance, we would hold community forums, gather petitions, and collect testimonies of the negative impact that this housing inequality has on residents. We would also provide specific examples to present the effectiveness of renters protection cap, like comparing the nearby city of Takoma Park with Gaithersburg, whose median rents are reportedly much lower than wider county rates at times and have longer average tenure for residents. Finally, we would need an elected City Council member to sponsor this ordinance, and build overall community support in order get it passed.
In terms of tangible results, we hope to track our progress by continually tracking residential allocation of income on housing annually. In doing so, we will know whether this solution will effectively address the housing inequality issue if allocation of income on housing decreases, or if there is another cause that must be addressed.
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We acknowledge that there are various limits to our solution as there are various other factors that go into fully solving the housing affordability crisis in Gaithersburg, especially since our analysis focuses on one area. Furthermore, there are many factors that may affect the impact of rent caps, this includes political and local dynamics, risk of reduced investments from developers etc. and we also acknowledge the potential of landlord resistance.
Despite these uncertainties, through collaboration and consistency from the relevant stakeholders such as residents, landlords, local governments and public agencies our approach is likely to be a viable solution.
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Circled area: families spending 50% of income on rent in Gaithersburg
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Challenge Brief, 2026 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yzSKLJkUkQOX3BxieuGEWuzYCIypksdTuv5YydfGy3w/edit?tab=t.0
https://cvtakomajunction.com/2025/05/21/qa-rent-stabilization-in-takoma-park/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/68958af408274d0db1d4d661fba1f2aa
https://datausa.io/profile/geo/gaithersburg-md
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