Connecticut has seen ample evidence of its housing crisis recently, including at the state Capitol on Jan. 30. In a hearing before a joint session of the Housing and Planning & Development committees, lawmakers listened to a report detailing the need for more than 100,000 units to meet demand.
This goes along with what people see and hear every day. Prices are up, potential homebuyers find themselves in bidding wars, and renters are bereft of options in their price range. Connecticut is the most constrained state in the nation in terms of housing development, the recently released report from contractor ECOnorthwest found.
This ongoing crisis has spurred advocates to seek statewide solutions. Action is needed because officials at the town level, where zoning decisions are made, have been so slow to react to the crisis. It’s not enough to let the status quo rule on housing, because towns have long had the power to allow much more housing to be built and have consistently stood in the way.
Even now, some town officials are pushing back against statewide solutions, arguing they’re already doing enough. But that’s not the case.
In a public hearing on a zoning bill on Feb. 3, a local official from Darien lauded the town’s progress. "Each town should be allowed to create affordable housing in a way that works best for that town," First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky said. "Our local developers are required to designate 14 percent of new apartments they build as affordable. This has resulted in 29 units of new affordable housing in our town just in the last three years."
Darien is among the richest municipalities in the state. It offers incredible access to jobs, good schools and other opportunities.
As Eleni Kavros DeGraw, D-Avon, rightfully said in response, “I don't know whether I would necessarily get very excited about 29 units.”
Bethel, too, was represented at the hearing. Though not as wealthy as Darien, it is also a high-opportunity town with rising home prices and plentiful opportunities for residents. The town planner, however, indicated that Bethel was already doing its part.
According to coverage in CT Insider, planner Beth Cavagna said Bethel developed a plan in 2016 that created a transit-oriented development district that resulted in 66 new units over the last seven years, with 12 designated affordable in the downtown area.
"I really believe that at this point, the state should be looking at rewarding those that have tried to accomplish affordable housing needs,” she said.
Every unit of affordable housing helps. But high-opportunity towns clearing the way for construction of 12 or 29 affordable units over a multi-year period is simply not enough. The state needs thousands of homes. It needs them where the jobs are. It needs them all around the state.
Effective zoning reform, such as Open Communities Alliance’s Towns Take The Lead Planning and Zoning, puts local communities in control of planning where development in town will go. If traffic is a problem, dense development that doesn’t require driving can help solve that. If the environment is the main concern, it’s important to note that the sprawl that characterizes current Connecticut development is among the least eco-friendly ways to build.
What is clear is that the state needs to act. Towns have had the opportunity to move on their own to solve the housing crisis, and they have declined to do so. The state needs to pass a meaningful zoning reform law, and Towns Take the Lead is the best chance to do that.