The Queen Anne’s County Department of Housing and Community Services will begin taking applications on Friday, March 27, 2009 for the Moderately Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) Program. The Queen Anne’s County Commissioners established the MPDU Program to provide affordable new housing to people with moderate incomes. The program was originally adopted as part of the Queen Anne’s County Code in 2004.

Sale prices and rents are set through the MPDU regulations. The current price for a two bedroom unit is $132,462, a three bedroom unit is $153,030 and a four bedroom unit is $185,864. To purchase or rent an MPDU, applicants must have a good credit rating, a steady income and the home must be affordable for the family. All purchases and leases are agreements between the applicant and the private sales or rental agents.

Income guidelines are set at 80 percent of the median income based on the fiscal year income limits for the Baltimore Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) with adjustments for household size as reported by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The current eligible income guidelines per household size are: one person household, $43,050; two person household, $49,200; three person household , $55,350 and four person household, $61,500. This income is based on gross annual income from all current sources for all wage earners in the family. Additionally, those who are interested in purchasing an MPDU may not have owned a home in the previous five years. Preference points are awarded residents of Queen Anne’s County, those who are employed in Queen Anne’s County and members of the Queen Anne’s County Critical Workforce which includes full-time teachers, law enforcement officers, emergency medical technicians and dispatchers and volunteer firefighters.

The first two homes being offered under the MPDU program are four bedroom townhouses in the Ellendale Community in Stevensville. The Department of Housing and Community Services will maintain a waiting list of eligible applicants and more homes are expected to be available later this year. There is a control period of fifteen years and specific resale procedures per the MPDU guidelines. The homeowner may not own another home during the control period and the resale price will be determined by the Department of Housing and Community Services.

For more information or to apply, contact Candice Darling at the county Department of Housing and Community Services at (410) 758-3977 or via email: cdarling@qac.org.