Connecticut Housing Advocates Call for Zoning Reform

Housing advocates in Connecticut are calling on state leaders to pass zoning reforms and renter protection laws “in an effort to break a ‘vicious cycle’ of evictions and homelessness exacerbated by the state’s deficit of affordable housing.” 

Hugh McQuaid reports on the story for CT News Junkie, highlighting a new report from a nonprofit called Connecticut Voices for Children that assesses the challenges of affordable housing production in the state, concluding that restrictive zoning laws that privilege single-family homes are contributing to the rise in housing costs. “The CT Voices report found that Connecticut experienced a lower rate of home construction than the rest of the country since the 1990s, which has led to an increased housing cost burden that has fallen disproportionately on the state’s Black and brown families.”

The group recommends creating a statewide ‘fair share’ housing plan that tasks local jurisdictions with reducing barriers to affordable housing, similar to California’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).

The report also recommends streamlining the approval process for housing, reducing restrictions that limit multifamily construction, and enacting tenant protections and rent stabilization policies. Some of these proposals stalled in the state legislature last year, but CT Voices says they warrant a second look.