A suite of housing and zoning reforms, once pie-in-the-sky dreams for some advocates, are now law in Baltimore, with Mayor Brandon Scott signing four bills Monday in a City Hall ceremony.

The new laws remove requirements for off-street parking, allow people to build closer to the edges of their property lines, and eliminate a requirement that new buildings between four and six stories have more than one stairwell.

Narrowly passed out of City Council, supporters say these measures will increase housing density, availability and affordability, which would in turn start to address some of the city’s most entrenched issues, such as population loss.

In 1950, the city had nearly 950,000 residents. As of 2024, it had around 568,000, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

“This is particularly meaningful because redlining was signed into law in this very building, at the desk where I sit each day,” Scott said, referencing the illegal practice of denying loans and insurance to minority neighborhoods. “But it isn’t just about rewriting wrongs of the past. It’s about building a stronger future and continuing the momentum we’ve already created.”

The measures have been the subject of fierce opposition, with critics warning of a gentrified Baltimore that will harm longtime Black residents.

Councilman James Torrence, whose 7th District includes a swath of West Baltimore, voiced opposition at a recent Council meeting, telling his colleagues that the policies had no guardrails in place to prevent adverse effects.

“When Black people leave this city, I want to make sure on this council record that I told you so,” Torrence said.

The four bills signed Monday do not even include the most contentious piece of legislation in Scott’s housing reform package.

That bill, which recently got the OK from the city Planning Commission but still needs council approval, would allow multifamily housing in residential districts currently zoned for only single-family dwellings. Buildings with 1,500 square feet could be subdivided into two units, while buildings with 3,000 square feet could be split into four.

Aware of how divisive this legislative package is — Councilman Zac Blanchard, who represents Baltimore’s 11th District, said he received over 400 emails and phone messages regarding the bills, both in support and opposition — city officials acknowledged that voting in favor of the laws was a “tough” decision.

“Some of the decisions we make aren’t going to be popular in every part of our city,” Council President Zeke Cohen said at a news conference Monday. “But at the end of the day, this is about how do we build Baltimore. How do we make it easier to build in Baltimore for regular people so that we can have the renaissance we want?”

For years, housing advocates like Councilman Ryan Dorsey have tried to make it easier for developers and homeowners to redevelop vacant land or derelict buildings. The bill signing marked a moment of personal triumph — Dorsey’s parents were in attendance — and served as a signal that the city’s progressive YIMBYs are firmly in charge.

The reforms they’ve championed are billed as the panacea to the bureaucratic gridlock that has slowed housing development in cities across the country. Whether these reforms are actually the cure they’re described as remains to be seen — progress will be measured in years, if not decades.

Still, this is the path the city is on.

“Whether it’s with a wide majority or a narrow majority, we’re here today to move forward,” Dorsey said.