Town Gets $20K Grant For Affordable Housing Study

Stonington and North Stonington have each been awarded $20,000 state grants to help each establish “incentive housing zones,” or affordable housing, according to a press release from the state Department of Housing.

The funding comes from the Housing for Economic Growth Program, also known as HomeCT.  The program provides financial incentives, such as technical assistance grants, predevelopment funds, zone adoption grants and building permit grants, to municipalities that create affordable housing by designating areas as Incentive Housing Zones (IHZ) within the municipality, according to a press release issued by the office of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

Stonington First Selectman Edward Haberek said he was pleased the town was awarded.

“This planning grant allows us to examine areas of town the are beneficial for incentive housing zones to provide more workforce housing for Stonington,” he said.

A total of $197,800 in grant funding was spread across the state for 10 different communities, including Stonington and North Stonington.

An IHZ allows for residential or mixed-use developments that set aside a minimum of 20 percent of the units for households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income (AMI) for a minimum of 30 years.  A unit is affordable if the rent is no more than 30 percent of a household’s annual income.

“Our state’s ability to attract young workers, families and businesses that provide jobs and increased revenue is dependent on the availability of various types of housing opportunities,” Malloy said.  

“Incentive housing zones are an important tool that communities can use to promote high-quality workforce housing, revitalize vacant or underutilized properties, increase pedestrian activity, support businesses, and make better use of existing public infrastructure," he added.

•   Stonington — The town will use its $20,000 grant for site selection, and drafting IHZ regulations and design standards.

•   North Stonington — The town will use its $20,000 grant to offset engineering and legal review costs, and draft design standards and IHZ regulations.