Advocates are expressing disappointment in Gov. Ned Lamont for his Monday veto of a broad bill they say would have helped alleviate the state’s housing crisis.

“There’s a lot of disappointment and, frankly, anger,” said Pete Harrison, Connecticut director of the Regional Plan Association, a think tank that advocated for the bill. “It’s just a real poor leadership decision.”

The bill would have, among many other provisions, required cities and towns to set goals for the creation of affordable housing units, but did not mandate their construction.

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“I don’t know if Gov. Lamont is waiting around to get 169 towns and cities to give the thumbs up to a housing bill,” Harrison said. “If he is, he’s going to be disappointed, and we need to tell him not to do that.”

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The Open Communities Alliance, a nonprofit that also pushed for the bill, said it was frustrating to see objections based on false claims enter into the governor’s reasoning for the veto.

“It’s not a state takeover of zoning. It’s not central planning,” said Hugh Bailey, the organization’s policy director, recounting critiques of the legislation. “It’s not any of that.”

“We can't be a state that grounds its public policy on misinformation,” said Executive Director Erin Boggs. “That's just not a good principle to be designing our laws on.”

CT advocates react to Gov. Lamont's veto of key bill to address the housing crisis, Chris Polansky, CT Public Radio, June 24, 2025, available here