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Town and state officials on Tuesday cut the ribbon on a newly constructed affordable housing building at Route 123 and Lakeview Avenue.
The 40-unit Canaan Parish apartment complex—a joint effort of the town (which owns the land), New Canaan Neighborhoods, Inc. (which owns the building) and developer Heritage Housing, Inc.—represents “phase 2” of a lengthy $46 million remodeling at the town-owned property, the first half of which was completed in 2021.
Officials cut the ribbon on the new building at Canaan Parish, July 25, 2023. Credit: Connor Markey
New Canaan Housing Authority Chair Scott Hobbs told the 50-plus attendees at the ribbon-cutting ceremony that he’d hoped in the past the new building would help address some of the affordable housing issues the town has faced in recent years.
However, during his address, Hobbs said that was no longer the case.
“I do feel compelled to discuss what I consider to be an injustice,” he said. “While every one of the units created here at Canaan Parish meet all the mandated requirements to be considered affordable under state statute, New Canaan is being told that many, if not most of them will not qualify for moratorium under Section 8. This discretionary judgment is based on the opinion that we produce too many affordable units too quickly, so they should not count towards a moratorium. There are some nuances to what I said, but that is the alleged problem in a nutshell.”
Officials gather to celebrate creation of the new building at Canaan Parish, July 25, 2023. Credit: Connor Markey
He referred to the town’s ongoing legal dispute with the Connecticut Department of Housing regarding their different interpretations of the state law known by its statute number, 8-30g. It mandates that 10% of a municipality’s housing stock must qualify as affordable, or else the town is susceptible to an appeals process where developers can skirt local zoning regulations. However, by periodically adding new affordable units, a town can qualify for a four-year exemption from the law, as New Canaan did in 2017.
The town tried again to secure a four-year moratorium last fall, but the state formally denied the application. The town then filed a lawsuit objecting to the denial. The state two months ago issued a “declaratory ruling” bolstering its denial, and the town last month sued again.
At issue is the question of whether a number of units that had been part of the redevelopment at Millport qualify to count toward a new moratorium.
The new building at Canaan Parish features modern light-filled apartments with more than one acre of usable green space that includes a playground, utility court, community garden and cookout spaces.
Chris Hussey, who was specially honored at the event with a dedication of the playground in her name in recognition of her decades of service on the NCN board, said in a statement: “We are very grateful for the support and encouragement of our town bodies. It was invaluable. Looking at this amazing property, nobody would believe that it is Section 8 and affordable housing. It is a beautiful complex with outstanding landscaping including a generous playground, basketball court and community garden. We have provided homes for 100 families. I am especially pleased that the residents, especially the children will be proud to bring guests to their new, bright and welcoming homes.”
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan in making his own remarks at the ceremony said that affordable housing development is “real challenging for a town like New Canaan.”
“This property, which was available to a developer, probably cost $10 million to $12 million,” Moynihan said. “As Scott says, I’ll build more affordable housing but you’ve got to give me free land. Who’s going to pay for that land? We have to figure out how to make this work. The state needs to share some of the money. I think we sent $12 million in conveyance fees two years ago to the state, for all of the turnover in houses we had. We need some of that money to apply to help build affordable housing.”
Moynihan credited the town’s ability to build new affordable units to Laszlo Papp, a former Planning & Zoning commissioner who had urged the town to create an affordable housing fund nearly 20 years ago.
“Because of that, we had $700,000 to give to Scott, to pay the lawyers, to pay the permission costs, to get this project on the planning table,” Moynihan said. “This was planned seven or eight years ago, before I was first selectman. It was a great strategy because we already had a moratorium. This was designed to give us a second moratorium and well on our way to a third moratorium. I’m glad the governor and the commissioner are here today to witness this building, because under the policy the state wants to apply, we will never get credit for $20 million of affordable housing, and that’s not just.”
Gov. Ned Lamont, who was in attendance, spoke in support of New Canaan’s recent efforts.
“People want to move to Connecticut,” he said. “It wasn’t always the case, and they want to come here now, and we’ve got to find a way to accommodate.”
While Lamont did not refer to the active litigation during his comments, he said, “I think a town like New Canaan, you show it right here, we’re getting it right.”