Dear Maryland Neighbor,

Like your single-family home? Things might be changing for the worse.

As part of his housing affordability initiative, Governor Wes Moore has backed new state legislation, the Starter and Silver Homes Act of 2026 (House Bill 239 / Senate Bill 36). The legislation would eliminate local zoning authority and allow Annapolis to impose, statewide:

>Townhouses in single-family zones

>Reductions in minimum lot sizes to 5,000 square feet

>Subdivision of single-family lots to up to three building sites

>Reductions in required setbacks to as little as 10 feet front and rear and 5 feet on the sides

Not only could these changes lower your property value and quality of life, but they also deprive us, Maryland residents and taxpayers, any voice in the future of our neighborhoods.

The Citizens Coordinating Committee on Friendship Heights (CCCFH), a respected land use advocate for neighborhoods, is seeking to hire a lobbyist to express our concerns to lawmakers in Annapolis. But we have to act fast, as hearings on the bill will begin next week.

We want to hire Zektick and Company (https://zektick.com/), an experienced lobbying firm that understands Annapolis politics, land use regulations and the dynamics between state and local government. We need a lobbyist to stop this bill until a more thoughtful solution to housing affordability can be proposed.

To have any chance of being heard, we need to raise $10,000 by this Sunday, February 8, which will pay lobbying fees for the next 10 weeks (the remainder of this legislative session). All contributions are appreciated, but to reach this goal, please consider a donation of $100 to $250.

Please donate by February 8 so that we can begin this important work immediately.