Jennifer Leeper’s Votes Give Hartford More Power Over Local Development

On November 12, 2025, Rep. Jennifer Leeper voted yes on HB 8002, the housing law passed in special session. Here is what it does.

Any parcel in Fairfield zoned for commercial or mixed use must now allow buildings of two to nine homes through what the law calls "summary review." That means no public hearing, no special permit, no variance, and no other discretionary zoning decision. The town may check the site plan against its regulations and for public health and safety, and that is all. There is no hearing for neighbors to attend.

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Parking goes the same way. Our zoning commission can no longer reject a residential project of fewer than 17 units for failing our parking rules, unless it can show a specific threat to public health and safety that no condition can fix.

The law lets a town create up to two "traffic mitigation districts," each no larger than 4 percent of its land. Inside them, the town may require parking for projects of up to 15 units. But the developer can answer with a parking study he pays for himself, and the town must then approve the lower of its standard ratio or his number. That is not local control. That is an appeal we hand to developers.

This was not the first time. In May 2024, Leeper voted yes on HB 5474, which requires towns to let a vacant nursing home become multifamily housing through the same summary review: no public hearing, no special permit.

Fairfield lives with what gets built here, from traffic and parking to roads, sewers and schools. The people who live with it should have a voice in it.

Emily Hau has been pushing for traffic mitigation districts at our TPZ, so she knows exactly how thin that protection is. She will work to roll these provisions back and return zoning decisions to Fairfield, made in public, by people we can vote out. That is why I am voting for her for State Representative in the 132nd District, and I hope you will too.

Stephen Coyne

20 Year Fairfield Resident