Significant barriers to housing options for low to moderate income families with children persist in Connecticut, according to findings from a new “Zoning for Equity: Examining Planning and Zoning Impediments to Housing and School Diversity” report.

The federally-funded report from Open Communities Alliance, looked into the zoning and planning of 12, mostly white and wealthier than average towns including East Lyme, Farmington, Gilford, Monroe, New Canaan, North Branford, Old Saybrook, Shelton, Simsbury, Stonington, Wallingford and Weston.

“One surprise is the extent to which towns are explicit about their interest in keeping out moderate and low-income families by limiting where housing that’s more affordable can be located,” said Erin Boggs, executive director of the Alliance, a nonprofit.

The towns were selected on the basis of “the high level of existing economic and racial segregation,” said Sam Giffin, policy and data analyst at the Alliance.

The intention of the towns – the report surmises, is to possibly limit housing for lower income families with children to restrict enrollment numbers at public schools. One way the towns do this is by requiring special permission to build multifamily housing – more than two units per structure. Where possible, non age-restricted multifamily housing is primarily located in non-residential areas.

‘Zoning for Equity’ report by local nonprofit finds barriers persist in building affordable housing, Sujata Srinivasan, Connecticut Public Radio, April 8, 2022, available here