On Jan. 26, College Park City Council voted unanimously to support the deletion of student surcharge exemption areas, which incentivized the construction of off-campus housing. The Maryland state legislature will vote on whether it becomes legislation.
A student surcharge fee, a county tax on new housing, was put in place to help pay for elementary and secondary school facilities. The exemption of this fee incentivized the creation of more off-campus housing options for University of Maryland students, according to The Diamondback.
The council's next step will focus on incentivizing housing construction for graduate students. The discounted housing would make it cheaper for developers to build and create more choice for students.
Currently, the university has two graduate-specific communities, Graduate Gardens and Graduate Hills. Both are on university property. [DBK]
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