The demand for affordable housing is strong, in Glastonbury and across the state.

Connecticut lacks about 85,000 affordable units for extremely low-income renters, according to National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates. Glastonbury’s multifamily rental properties have been “functionally zero” in recent years, according to John Guszkowski, co-founder and Principal at Tyche Planning & Policy Group .The current waitlist for property owned by the Glastonbury Housing Authority has more than 1,100 names.

“It’s quite clear that the demand in Glastonbury is there,” Guszkowski said.

To build the units, though, will take “significant political will,” argues Pamela Lucas, an immigration attorney and leader with TALK, a Glastonbury-based community organization.

Zoning laws in towns across Connecticut discriminate against multifamily developments by favoring single-family or age-restricted housing, while plans to build affordable housing are routinely met with staunch public opposition.

There are also market-based challenges. High costs make it difficult for developers to make rents affordable for low-income earners. Developers say they need more tax credits, while housing advocates call for more government investment in rental assistance programs.

Glastonbury could build hundreds of affordable housing units with tweaks to zoning laws, report says, Seamus McAvoy, Hartford Courant, April 23, 2022, available here