Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont spoke out regarding a hotly-contested omnibus housing bill, saying it contains “red flags” and wished he was more involved in its drafting.
A day after the state legislative session ended, Lamont spoke about the bill’s future.
“I wish I was more involved in the bill earlier, to tell you the truth,” Lamont said. “I think there's some red flags in it, and I know why it makes people nervous, but it's basically gross misrepresentation from the anti-growth people down there that are stirring people up.”
The bill asks municipalities to work toward an affordable housing goal for their community, as part of the state’s affordable housing mandate. It requires communities to adopt an affordable housing plan every five years.
One of the most contested elements of the bill is the “Fair Share Planning and Zoning“ proposal. It urges towns and cities Connecticut municipalities to contribute their “fair share” of the affordable housing stock.
They would do this by requiring cities and towns to create affordable housing plans based on the number of units recommended for each town by a study assessing the state’s housing needs.
Some of Connecticut’s top Republican lawmakers released a statement following Lamont’s comments about the bill, urging him to veto.
“That statement is not a vote of confidence,” the GOP leaders said. “You say you have regrets about how this deeply flawed legislation was crafted. And rightly so.”
Republican leaders asked Lamont to veto the bill rather than “fold to pressure from legislative Democrats.” Republicans called the bill “one of the most aggressive attacks on local control our state has ever seen.”
They are mainly concerned about the bill’s zoning and housing density changes overriding local regulations. They say it would strip local governments of having the authority to control development and growth.
“It forces density from the top down, with little concern for infrastructure, public input, safety, or community character. It deprioritizes many towns from much needed state grants,” Republicans said in a statement. “Let’s go back to the drawing board, work together across the aisle, and find real, common sense solutions that address housing affordability — without gutting local control.“
Lamont said those who oppose new housing creation are misunderstanding the bill’s purpose.
“They’re saying it's a big mandate,” Lamont said. “‘You're forcing me to build housing in my backyard,’ which is not what the strategy is at all. It's trying to tell towns, you take the lead. You show us where you want that housing to go. It's important for your community. It's important for our state.”
Changes to zoning laws also sparked concerns among conservative lawmakers. But Lamont said change is necessary.
“It's so important that we get more housing here, and regulation is one of the things that slows it down,” Lamont said. “Ninety percent of our housing is I think going to be in our 10 to 15 biggest cities. I’m getting a lot of pushback from my friends in Fairfield County. They say: ‘This is a heavy-handed state mandate."
Work, Live, Ride is one of the main parts of the bill. It promotes the establishment of Transit Oriented Districts (TODs), which boost affordable housing construction near transit hubs.
Also receiving pushback: A zoning reform measure that eliminates the need for off-street parking as part of housing development plans.
Traditionally, developers looking to build housing complexes were required to include a parking lot for residents’ vehicles. This can be a barrier to development in communities with few available plots or lot size requirements.
Under newly-passed state legislation, developers are no longer required to include on-site parking, opening up development opportunities and pushing for more biking and walking.
Democratic lawmakers say the bill adds much-needed housing stock to the state and requires municipalities to add only a fraction of the affordable housing recommended by the state housing study.
