Meet Takoma Park's New Housing Manager

Takoma Park welcomed its new Housing Manager, taking the reins over the division responsible for ensuring safe, decent, and affordable homeownership and rental opportunities for city residents.

Devin McNally joined Takoma Park from the Sacramento area in October, marking a big move from California’s bustling capital
region.

“That included the area from Sacramento all the way to Lake Tahoe,” he says. “We covered everything from people living in the middle of the woods to Mark Zuckerberg’s mansion. There was always something new.” But the D.C. area enticed McNally with its more progressive policies, particularly in the housing field. “Takoma Park has such a wide housing portfolio,” McNally says. “It’s one of the few places with rent stabilization that’s working to keep people in their homes. The average renter in Takoma Park has been in their apartment 17 years as opposed to around 4 years for the rest of the county.”

McNally says that he has three goals to help residents of Takoma Park, including increasing outreach to help tenants understand their rights and landlords know their responsibilities.

“We’re putting together a tenant fact sheet,” he says. “Something quick and short to help with landlord issues or code enforcement, letting tenants know what to do if they smell gas or if something’s broken. We do get lots of questions from tenants, and we want to make sure they have the right information quickly.”

McNally also says he wants to encourage more home ownership, especially through programs like the Home Stretch down payment assistance program that provides financial assistance to eligible families seeking to achieve homeownership.

He says the city is partnering with Habitat for Humanity to subdivide a single-family home into a two-home duplex that is
owned by two lower-income local families.

Another initiative he hopes to achieve is collaborating with the Economic Development and Planning Divisions to help revitalize underserved areas of the community, including the New Hampshire corridor and the area around the old Adventist Hospital.

“We want to think about how housing can be part of the revitalization process of the community,” he says.

An example, McNally says, was the recent success at 112 Lee Ave., where the city, working with Mi Casa, helped the tenants of the building secure $600,000 in state grants to purchase the property.

All in all, McNally is excited to serve the residents of Takoma Park. “I’m looking forward to getting to know members of the community,” McNally says.

This article was featured in the December 2022 Newsletter. Visit the Takoma Park Newsletter webpage to see the full list of past newsletters.