A coalition of affordable housing advocates filed suit in New Haven Tuesday against the town of Woodbridge over zoning regulations that prevent multi-family housing in the vast majority of the town.

The fair housing advocacy organization Open Communities Trust, the Stamford-based affordable housing developer Garden Homes Fund, an affiliate LLC of those organizations, and two Woodbridge residents are filing the lawsuit against the town.

The plaintiffs are charging that the town’s restrictions against homes with more than two units violate the Connecticut Zoning Enabling Act, the Connecticut Fair Housing Act, and the state constitution.

Woodbridge currently prevents multifamily housing with three or more units in 98.4 percent of the town, according to the Open Communities Alliance (which is affiliated with the Open Communities Trust.)

Woodbridge is ​“a town that for generations has zoned to exclude, time after time, year after year,” said Erin Boggs, the alliance’s executive director.

At a press conference outside the state courthouse at 121 Elm St. on Tuesday morning, representatives of the organizations said their lawsuit could provide a model for advocates seeking to racially and socio-economically integrate towns across Connecticut and the country.

Advocates Sue Woodbridge Over Zoning, Laura Glesby, New Haven Independent, Aug. 30, 2022, available here