Thoughts on Affordable Housing and the Incentive Housing Overlay Proposal

For too long the uncertainty concerning affordable housing has hindered meaningful development of any type along Route 67. While we hesitate, we are losing commercial opportunities to surrounding towns.

As I stated during the last campaign, we need to develop our own P&Z regulations. The current state grant funded Incentive Housing Overlay Zone proposal will only result in a real loss of commercially zoned land to residential development and benefit the developers at the expense of the town. They will build the vast majority of housing that does not add to our affordable housing stock.

Under the IHOZ proposal, only 20% of the development needs to be affordable. Of course the developer will opt to build housing that does not conform to our existing two acre minimum for residential development and consume all the remaining land in our commercial zone. All of this is detrimental to increasing our tax base and easing the burden on us as taxpayers. When we invested in water and sewer lines along Route 67, did we envision residential development?

I promote regulations that address the affordable housing state statutes. I also promote enforcement of our existing zoning regulations including those areas that are zoned for commercial use. What good is it to have any zoning regulations if our Planning and Zoning Commission feels that they must compromise on those very regulations every time a developer threatens us? It has become increasingly clear that Oxford will never be able to build itself out from under the state requirements of Section 8-30g. I strongly feel that ultimately, for Oxford to move beyond the ever present threat of others dictating how we develop our community there needs to be a concerted effort to amend the state statute in Hartford. I am willing to advocate Oxford’s interests in Hartford and work with our representatives for meaningful change.