On Tuesday, September 29, 2020, Open Communities Alliance, in partnership with the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School, submitted an application to the Woodbridge Planning and Zoning Commission calling for necessary changes to the town’s discriminatory zoning policies. As part of a long-term #OpenWoodbridge Campaign, the proposed changes would take initial steps to bring the town's zoning into compliance with state and federal law, require the town to host its fair share of affordable housing for the region, and address decades of exclusionary zoning.
This effort offers Woodbridge the opportunity to bring its policies into compliance while ending decades of housing segregation. To hold the town to account, Open Communities Trust, LLC has acquired property in Woodbridge and is seeking to build a small multi-family development with a mix of market rate and affordable rental units, a development model that is currently prohibited throughout the town. State law requires Woodbridge's zoning commission to respond to the proposed zoning amendment with a public hearing
At present, Woodbridge’s zoning policy reserves the vast majority of its land area exclusively for single-family homes on large lots and bans the development of multi-family housing of three units or more across the entire town.
“The lack of diversity in the Amity School District and many other suburban school districts can be attributed almost entirely to the zoning controls that local governments use to exclude outsiders,” said Connie Royster, Co-chair of the Open Communities Alliance Board of Directors. “Since school districts draw their student population from within their geographic boundaries, they reflect the demographics of the communities that lie within them. The simple fact is that the only way the Amity School District can realistically become a more diverse place is if towns like Woodbridge allow the construction of affordable housing. Woodbridge has a responsibility to its kids to provide the best education possible, and that means it needs to become a community that is welcoming to all.”
We are grateful to the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School for partnering with us to #OpenWoodbridge.
Resources
- Full Zoning Application to the Woodbridge Planning and Zoning Commission
- #OpenWoodbridge Fact Sheet
- About #OpenWoodbridge
- Learn more about Fair Share
- Read our press release for January 4th, 2021
- Read the Woodbridge Planning and Zoning Commission Decision
- Chart outlining the Woodbridge Planning and Zoning Commission Decision
- Read our full statement on the decision
News Articles
- A fight over building apartments in mainly white Woodbridge has become a flashpoint in the debate over racial equity in Connecticut. Here’s why., Eliza Fawcett, Hartford Courant, April 30, 2021
- Woodbridge officials say they want to sign off on all multi-unit developments, Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT Mirror, May 14, 2021
- Zoning commissioners in Woodbridge approve modified housing rules, largely rejecting bid to far-reaching reforms, Eliza Fawcett, Hartford Courant, June 8, 2021
- Woodbridge zoning officials take a small step toward affordable housing, Jacqueline Rabe Thomas, CT Mirror, June 8, 2021
Public Hearings
- November 30th, 2020
- January 4th, 2021: Special Meeting - Regular Meeting
- February 9th, 2021
- February 22nd, 2021
- March 1st, 2021
- March 18th, 2021
- April 5th, 2021: Part 1 - Part 2
- May 3rd, 2021
- May 13th, 2021
- May 24th, 2021
- June 7th, 2021
- You can access recordings of the Woodbridge Town Plan and Zoning Commission meetings and other materials from prior meetings here.
Want to get more involved?
Consider joining OCA's Coalition as a first step in taking action on racial equity in your town and across the state!
For more information or if you have additional questions about our #OpenWoodbridge Campaign, please contact [email protected].