Zoning in Connecticut

With 169 towns and over 169 separate zoning ordinances due to town subsections, zoning in Connecticut presents a number of challenges.  This is particularly true in a state found to have the most restrictive zoning in the country that prevents low-income children from accessing the state’s most successful schools.

What can we do to change this?

• Support and improve inclusive laws like the Affordable Housing Appeals Act and the Housing for Economic Growth Program (also known as HomeCT or the Incentive Housing Zone Program).
• Support efforts to collect and analyze zoning data.  See one effort to do this. 
• Develop a fair share housing plan that allocates affordable housing equitably across all towns.
• Work within your town to institute inclusive zoning.  Sign up to help with this!

 Zoning Resources 

• Fragments of Regionalism: State and Regional Planning in Connecticut at Century's End, Terry Tondro, 1999

• Housing Costs, Zoning, and Access to High-Scoring Schools, Jonathan Rothwell, 2012