Calvin Ball takes aim at affordable housing in Howard County; effort a good start, but more needed

Howard County boasts the highest median family income in Maryland. Its unemployment rate is tied for the state’s lowest, its school system consistently earns top reviews, and Columbia, Maryland’s first planned community, was recently designated by WalletHub as the nation’s second safest city. To top it all off, there’s the home equity bottom line: Buying real estate has turned out to be a terrific investment in Howard County, with the median sale prices of homes averaging abound $725,000 — or $200,000 more than just four years ago, the biggest jump in all of Maryland.