Introduction

We have arrived at week 23 of the year! Many changes have occurred that will have a lasting impact for several years to come. There are major infrastructure upgrades for transportation, including bike lanes, as well as upgrades for broadband internet. Additionally, Governor Wes Moore is revitalizing Downtown Baltimore. The changes are all positive, and I look forward to sharing with you!

Watch the full episode now, or scroll down to read the full transcript and linked resources!

Time Stamp

00:00 Introduction
00:27 Maryland Real Estate Legislation
02:12 Market Snapshot – Montgomery County High Home Prices
04:28 Construction & Infrastructure Updates
05:47 Roads
07:12 State Building Cost Cuts + Redevelopment
09:11 Bike Lanes & Road Safety in the City
11:15 Construction Law: Lawsuit in Connecticut
13:21 Funding & Housing: Interconnected Challenges
15:10 Outro

Transcript:

Intro

Welcome back to Achlab, and my name is Anne. This is your Monday market industry news on real estate, housing, and construction. Grab your coffee and pastry and get comfy! . We’re talking what’s moving in the DC/Maryland/Virginia DMV market— various topics on law, housing, funding,even on bike lanes. So, like, comment, and subscribe.

Maryland Real Estate Legislation

Alright, let’s kick things off! Real estate laws fresh outta Maryland. If you're in real estate—whether you're listing homes, managing properties, or just keeping tabs, here is what you wanna know.

So, here’s the scoop. This story comes out of the Octoday Dispatch, and they break it down pretty clearly. So, what’s changing?

First up, new disclosure rules. If you’re selling a home within one mile of a federal Superfund site—Pause! What is a federal superfund? If you are wondering, it is basically abandoned hazardous waste sites. These are to be clean up in order to protect the environment and the health of the local populations. Yeah, sooo it a major environmental cleanup zones—you now gotta add that to the contract. No more gray area. So, nonchalantly just say hey by the way, the property is in a superfund zone!

Also, condo sellers, heads up. You now have to disclose whether there’s any asbestos hanging around the unit. That wasn’t explicitly required before, and now it is. So, if you’re representing older buildings—like anything pre-1970 even 1990s—make sure you’ve got that asbestos disclosure loud and clear in your listing.

And, one interesting note: Maryland’s Real Estate Commission is getting more power to deny, suspend, or revoke licenses based on conduct outside of just basic fraud or misrepresentation. So if you're cutting corners or not following the updated rules? Bewareof the watchdogs, the state’s watching that all

Market Snapshot – Montgomery County High Home Prices

"Alright, so let’s talk numbers now—because Montgomery County is rising in a good way.

According to UrbanTurf, home prices in MoCo, the median sale price in the county is now the highest it’s ever been. So if you’re house hunting, investing, or even just watching your Zillow alerts come through, you know firsthand that the cost of homes is entering a new bracket.

Montgomery’s still one of the most competitive spots in the whole region. High demand, low inventory—the epic battles between sellers and buyer rages on!

Now here’s the part that jumped out to me—detached single-family homes are leading the demand. It’s not just townhomes or condos that are appreciating in value. We’re talking big lots, front backyard, sideyard, hidden pathways to adjacent backyard the classic colonials, those charming '70s ranchers...all moving fast and often above asking.

The takeaway? If you already own a home in Montgomery County, congrats—your equity just got a nice little boost. If you’re trying to buy, don't give up; it's still a great investment.

And if you're a builder or developer? This is your green light. New construction on the outskirts or infill developments in walkable areas are going to be key. Location Location and LOOOcation. Especially if you can price it just under that luxury tier—because the demand is there, but keep in mind budgets are stretched thin.

Now zooming out for a second—this isn’t just a Montgomery County thing. Actually, you might be surprised The Washington Post recently shared that the median price across the whole Maryland area has climbed to about $600,000.

So we’re seeing a regional push—MoCo just happens to be at the forefront in this cycle.

Bottom line? Prices are up, supply is tight, and if you’re in the business of wealth—buying, building, designing, or investing, it’s time to play smart and get some skin in the game!

Construction & Infrastructure Updates

Okay, let’s shift gears a little bit here—from market prices to what’s happening on the streets… literally.

Infrastructure upgrades and state-funded projects. If you’re in design, development, contracting, or even just curious about where public dollars are going—this is for you.

So here’s the headline that caught my eye: The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development just announced $13.6 million dollars in funding to expand broadband internet to low-income housing communities. That’s from Benton.org, and it’s going toward upgrades like internal wiring, modems, routers—basically, bringing digital access to thousands of residents across the state. WHOOOO hoooo Cheers

Now, why should you care?

If you’re in construction or renovation, this is good news. These are low-voltage jobs coming down the pipeline—installations, retrofits, possibly even light structural or architectural upgrades in older multifamily units. And from a policy standpoint, it’s a strong signal that affordable housing isn’t just about rent anymore—it’s also about digital equity.

Cool right! Now let’s talk roads.

Maryland just dropped a second round of 'Quick-Build' transportation projects—this one’s from Roads & Bridges and The Baltimore Banner. These projects include features such as speed cushions, painted crosswalks, flex posts for bike lanes, and pedestrian refuge islands.

And it’s happening fast so fast that—Anne Arundel, Montgomery, Cecil, Washington, and Dorchester counties are getting new installs this year.

If you’re not familiar with the term “quick-build,” it basically means low-cost, fast-to-install safety infrastructure that doesn’t need to go through a full year-long capital plan. Let me help you real quick Think pilot programs that, if they work, become permanent features. And guess what? The first round in Hagerstown and Howard County

So here’s why that matters to you:

If you’re designing developments near busy intersections, or planning to add ADUs or multi-unit conversions in these areas, these quick-builds could change traffic patterns, add pedestrian pressure, or affect where parking is available. It’s subtle, but it matters when you’re filing permits or making your zoning cases or appeals.

Let me translate in another way Safer roads, slower speeds, higher walkability score That’s gold for both renters and buyers.

State Building Cost Cuts + Redevelopment

“Okay, now here’s some tibit that shaking things up in Baltimore real estate—especially if you’re into government work, office-to-residential conversions, or just looking for those ‘what’s next’ investment clues.

So Governor Wes Moore has just announced a pretty bold cost-cutting plan: Maryland is closing down nine aging state office buildings in Baltimore and moving thousands of employees into modern leased space downtown. The article comes from The Baltimore Sun, and here’s the headline—$50 million dollars in annual savings and about $326 million dollars over the next 20 years. If that case buying something in downtown baltimore seems like the next move.

Let that sink in. That’s not just budget talk. That’s also a major shift in how the state is handling its real estate portfolio.

Now here’s where it gets juicy for investors, developers, and designers like us: some of these state-owned buildings—especially the big ones at the State Center complex—are going to be vacated and potentially put up for sale or redevelopment. We’re talking large square footage, solid bones, central location, right in the heart of Baltimore. You are welcome in advace!

That’s a huge opportunity if you’re in the game of adaptive reuse, historic preservation, or mixed-use development. What ever floats your boat

All of this could lead to new leases, new build-outs, more permitting, and maybe even new zoning hearings.

Long story short—this isn’t just a money-saving move. It’s a sign that public institutions are shifting how they use space, and Baltimore could benefit in a big way.

Again, shoutout to The Baltimore Sun for the breakdown. If you want the deeper dive check the description below

Bike Lanes & Road Safety in the City (13:30–16:30)

“Alright, now so this covers Baltimore, this is about transportation and safety, and it’s starting to directly shape how neighborhoods grow and evolve.

So Baltimore’s been ramping up its efforts to make the streets safer, especially for cyclists and pedestrians. This story comes from The Baltimore Banner, and it dives into a growing push to expand protected bike lanes and traffic-calming measures citywide.

And it’s not just feel-good policy—it’s a response to real numbers. Traffic deaths and serious crashes have been climbing. The city’s seeing more fatalities on major roadways, and the current infrastructure just isn’t cutting it.

Now here’s what’s happening: advocates are pushing the city to build more protected bike lanes, not just paint them but to take to the next level. Think: concrete buffers, flexible bollards, safer intersections—stuff that actually separates bikes from fast-moving cars.

From a business angle? These changes mean a couple things to piggy back what i mentioned earlier:

If you're planning new construction or renovations in city neighborhoods, you might need to adjust access points, sidewalk widths, or even your utility layout to match the city’s updated street grid.
From a permit and zoning side? You’ll want to check if new bike lanes or traffic-calming plans are coming to your area—because if they do the city could absolutely affect timelines, parking, and even curb access.
And check this out—this is bigger than just bikes. Safer roads attract residents, which leads to a boost in foot traffic for local businesses and often increases nearby property values. So it WIN - WIN

Again, that story came from The Baltimore Banner—definitely worth a read if you’re watching how street design is reshaping Baltimore block by block.”

Construction Law: Lawsuit in Connecticut

“This one’s wild because it in a whole another state but I believe worth mentioning, let me break it down.

So over in Connecticut, a contractor just filed a $17.6 million lawsuit against the architect after a school building caught fire. This one was reported by Law360, and here’s the short version: the contractor says the architect failed to properly design or spec the mechanical systems, which allegedly led to the fire—and now everyone is pointing fingers.

Now listen, these kinds of lawsuits aren’t super rare, but what makes this one interesting is the scale—and the fact that it’s post-construction. We’re talking completed project, handed over, everyone paid out, building in use, and still… something went terribly wrong.

And here’s what I want you to take away from this if you're in the industry—whether you’re drafting, coordinating, building, or reviewing contracts:

Fire safety isn’t just a box to check. It’s not enough to say “the MEP engineer handled that” or “the fire marshal signed off.” If you're working on schools, hospitals, multifamily—anything that has high occupancy—you better make sure the design, the specs, the materials, and the install all match up. No shortcuts. Im implying there where shortcuts at all I would have to really follow this case to get the bottom of it.

All lin all document everything and keep your records. Because if something fails later and the lawyers get involved, everyone's drawings and emails are on the table.

I know lawsuits like this sound scary, but they’re also good reminders of how important clear roles, good documentation, and real collaboration are in our field.

Again, if you want to read the details, search Law360 for “Connecticut school fire contractor architect lawsuit”—they have more details about it.”

Funding & Housing: Interconnected Challenges

Alright, let’s bring it home with a big-picture that really ties together a lot of what we’ve talked about today.

So Maryland Matters just published a report that breaks down how housing, transportation, land use, and economic development are all tangled together. Like—you can’t fix one without impacting the others. And that’s especially true here in the DMV area

For example, we talk about building more affordable housing, right? But what if the zoning laws don’t allow for higher density, or the bus lines don’t run near the site, or even if there’s no broadband infrastructure? Then that new housing isn’t really serving the people—it’s just a building. And don't get started when a building becomes just a building.

And when we talk about transportation projects—like those quick-build safety upgrades or new bike lanes—they’re not just about traffic. They influence all of us to feel safe walking to school, who have access to jobs, and even how property values shift. Same goes for economic development incentives- it shapes how neighborhoods grow and transforms.

The Maryland Matters piece essentially states: if we want to address housing affordability and achieve more equitable development, we need to plan all of this together—not in silos. Not separate but together!!!

And honestly? I totally agree more, i still got questions about logistics but i stand with it!

If you’re a designer, a contractor, a lawyer, or just someone trying to figure out where the market’s going, start thinking bigger. Come on, the scale demands bigger. Look at how all the pieces connect. Because your next project isn’t just about what you’re building. It’s about how it fits into the ecosystem around it.

[Outro]

Aww man, you made it this far, I'm so happy for you. So that’s your rundown for the week—new laws, high prices, infrastructure upgrades, legal battles, and where is the DMV is headed next. As always, drop your thoughts in the comments below —Like and subscribe so you don’t miss next week’s drop, and I’ll catch you soon. Stay informed and, most importantly, stay engaged. Have a great day!

2025 Week 23 - Maryland Housing Laws, MoCo Prices Surge, Quick Builds, Legal Drama & More (DMV Market News)