Across Connecticut, households are finding basic needs unaffordable — especially housing. In the face of this reality, Ridgefield is seriously considering a zoning moratorium, which would ban nearly all multifamily housing throughout the town for a year or more.

There are a few key facts to keep in mind when considering this proposal. First, no matter what the town Planning & Zoning Commission decides, the town can’t simply nullify state and federal laws. The much-discussed 8-30g statute, which allows affordable housing to be built in towns where it is in short supply, would still be in effect, as would federal fair housing statutes.

But even if it were possible for Ridgefield to decide which laws it will and will not follow, the moratorium would remain a bad idea. The town is a stunningly expensive place to live, and it has made virtually no progress in expanding its stock of affordable housing in recent years. With a dearth of multifamily options, the result is that Ridgefield is becoming a place only for the wealthy. That’s a disservice to people who are, for example, just starting out in life, those who work good jobs that aren’t well paid, and anyone from a background not characterized by wealth.

It is also true that a lack of housing affordability has a disparate impact on Black and Hispanic households. A moratorium like the one under discussion would raise serious legal concerns under the state and federal Fair Housing Acts and state Constitution.

Letter: Proposed Ridgefield moratorium raises Fair Housing concerns, Margaret Middleton & Robert Jewell, News Times, March 5, 2025, available here