Fairfield Affordable Housing Committee To Host Workshop On Housing Costs, Homeownership

FAIRFIELD, CT — Fairfield's Affordable Housing Committee will host a public workshop on Oct. 22 focused on housing costs and potential strategies to create more affordable homeownership opportunities in town.

The "Big Houses, Small Households" workshop will begin at 7 p.m. in the Rotary Room at the Fairfield Public Library, 1080 Old Post Road. The event is free and open to the public.

The workshop will examine rising housing costs and possible approaches the town could use to provide more affordable homeownership opportunities, including whether "pocket neighborhoods" could be part of the solution.

A moderated panel discussion will feature Oscar Leal, owner of Beach Walk Homes; Kevney Moses, land acquisition manager for Toll Brothers; and Andrei Harwell, director of the Yale Urban Design Workshop. Light refreshments will be provided.

"I encourage Fairfield residents interested in learning more to attend this important workshop," First Selectperson Christine Vitale said in a statement. "Fairfield should remain a place where people at different stages of life can find affordable housing."

The Affordable Housing Committee, formerly known as the Affordable Housing Task Force, was formed in 1985 to assess Fairfield's affordable housing needs and identify strategies to address them. The seven-member committee is appointed by the first selectperson.

The committee has been involved in recent policy initiatives, including establishing a Housing Trust Fund and adopting zoning regulations intended to make it easier to create accessory dwelling units in Fairfield.

In March 2025, Fairfield secured its first housing moratorium, which precludes most applications under Connecticut's Affordable Housing Land Use Appeals Procedure Act, known as 8-30g, for four years.

Housing costs have been an issue in Fairfield, where the median sales price of a single-family home topped $1 million in 2025. Rising prices and limited inventory of more modestly sized starter homes have made it more difficult for some young professionals and working-class families to enter the local housing market, according to the town. The town also said some older homeowners seeking to downsize have had difficulty finding housing that meets their needs.

"While we have made progress in increasing both our affordable housing inventory and diversity of housing options, our work is far from finished," Affordable Housing Committee Chairman Urb Leimkuhler said. "Because Fairfield residents want to find the housing they need within our community, we're seeking the right approaches to help make that happen, while not compromising all that makes Fairfield special."

Although the workshop is free, participants are asked to preregister online.