New Canaan State Lawmakers Celebrate Passage Of Key Housing Statute Amendment

Information via House Republicans

NEW CANAAN, CT — State Rep. Tom O'Dea and State Senator Ryan Fazio this week commended the passage of a notable amendment to House Bill 5474.

According to a news release provided by House Republicans, the aim of the amendment is to resolve a dispute between the town and the state over the Connecticut's affordable housing statute 8-30g.

New Canaan was granted a moratorium from further developments under the statute but was denied a subsequent moratorium based on an appeals process which is unevenly applied to municipalities, the New Canaan lawmakers argued.

"There is no question that 8-30g has been a failure in southern Fairfield County, especially in New Canaan and Darien," O’Dea said in a news release. "The restrictions in this statute have stifled affordable housing growth in my district and the moratorium process has continued to pit the state against our municipalities. By encouraging municipalities to build more publicly-funded affordable housing, the state is working with our towns, not against."

"Local control of our towns and cities is a great tradition in our state but 8-30g has undermined it over many decades," Fazio said in a news release, "demoralizing communities like New Canaan and Greenwich while failing to help the state meet affordable housing goals. This reform, supported by Rep. O'Dea and me over several years, helps make 8-30g a little better by giving our towns more local control while also rewarding affordable housing done with community buy-in."

According to O'Dea and Fazio, New Canaan was a leader in creating a building permit fee designated to create more affordable housing and received a moratorium for their locally-driven efforts.

The municipality was denied a subsequent moratorium, despite building affordable units in excess of the required amount. The bipartisan amendment directly addressed this contradiction, according to O'Dea and Fazio.

In March, O'Dea and Fazio both testified before the Housing Committee, offering the provision which was passed through the House as part of HB 5474 and adopted as amended by the Senate.

The House amendment, LCO 5551, makes a technical revision to 8-30g which will ensure that "eligible units completed before a moratorium has begun, but that were not counted toward establishing eligibility for such moratorium may be counted toward establishing eligibility for a subsequent moratorium."

This will directly impact New Canaan and similar municipalities facing an unfair rejection of moratorium, according to O'Dea and Fazio.

"This provision is essential to develop a more cooperative relationship between the state and municipalities, and also encourage municipalities to take initiative in bolstering their affordable housing stock," O'Dea and Fazio said jointly in a news release. "On behalf of New Canaan, we want to thank our bipartisan colleagues for their support of this important measure to benefit municipalities."

The state statute has been on the books for over three decades and requires that at least 10 percent of a municipalities' housing stock be deemed affordable or deed restricted, according to O'Dea and Fazio.

HB 5474 awaits signature from Governor Ned Lamont as of Thursday afternoon.