# Annapolis wants more housing downtown. Residents want it left alone > A plan to end single-family zoning in historic downtown Annapolis has longtime residents fighting to protect the city's character. - Title: Annapolis wants more housing downtown. Residents want it left… - Summary: A plan to end single-family zoning in historic downtown Annapolis has longtime residents fighting to protect the city's character. Annapolis's zoning fight… - Keywords: annapolis, zoning, housing, historic preservation, local government, news, local, wants, more, downtown, Residents, want - Source: The Banner — https://thebanner.com/community/housing/annapolis-zoning-housing-historic-downtown-FI3V45RMDZBY3LJQY64FE4XTRA - Author: Matti Gellman - Published: 2026-09-15T20:28:47.714+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: annapolis, zoning, housing, historic preservation, local government, news, local ## A plan to simplify zoning Annapolis planners asked the City Council to allow more apartments and businesses on parts of Duke of Gloucester Street near Main Street. The plan would also scrap two of the city's zoning districts. ## Single-family rules could end One of those districts has limited parts of historic downtown to single-family homes for decades. Removing it is meant to make room for affordable housing, which is scarce in the city and Anne Arundel County. > Downtown for centuries was teeming with housing options and we’ve gradually shrunk those, particularly with our zoning restrictions ## A downtown without its workers Eric Leshinsky, a senior city planner, argues that strict zoning has made downtown less real, because the people who work there can't afford to live there. > We create a less and less authentic version of our former self because none of the people who actually work here live here. ## Preservationists push back About two dozen residents showed up to oppose the plan. Karen Brown of Historic Annapolis said the nationally recognized district's character is what draws people to the city. > This would inevitably alter that character ## Traffic, tax credits and developers Opponents say developers would carve up homes, clog narrow streets and put historic tax credits at risk. One resident called denser housing on crumbling infrastructure borderline negligent. ## Not law yet The plan is Phase 2 of the city's 2024 Zoning Unlocked effort and came out of six months of staff research. It only moves forward if a council member introduces legislation, and nobody has yet. ## More zones than Baltimore Annapolis has more zoning districts than Baltimore, a much bigger city spread over 11 times the land. Planners say the code is confusing, partly outdated, and keeps old office buildings near Main Street empty. ## Many homes already break the rules About a third of homes in the single-family district don't comply with its rules, and some have already been split into apartments. Alderman Brooks Schandelmeier called fixing that urgent. > If there’s fire, earthquake, whatever that destroys it, we could not rebuild our downtown as it looks now ## Locking in the parks The plan would also protect parks and conservation land over two acres from future development. Alderman Frank Thorp was alarmed to learn houses could legally go up on Truxtun Park today. > It caused my heart to stop for a second ## Residents feel ignored Ward 1 leader Tom Krieck gathered 120 people in August and says planners downplayed the changes as minor tweaks. The plan barely changed afterward, and parking advocate Kathleen McDermott called it out of touch. > Most people can’t even find a space to park their car here ## A generational divide Keith Cyphers rented downtown for eight years before leaving. He noted that many opponents bought their homes cheaply decades ago, while younger people now have almost no chance to buy there. > But if you are a younger person who couldn’t buy a house in 1990 because you were 10 years old, it’s like impossible. ## Key takeaway Annapolis's zoning fight pits homeowners guarding a historic district against planners and younger residents who say the people who work downtown can no longer afford to live there.