The Board of Selectmen is scheduled to appoint a new committee Wednesday that will be charged with figuring out how to increase the number of affordable housing units in New Canaan.
The Affordable Housing Committee will help “maintain local control of housing development,” in part, by recommending “a plan to maintain successive moratoria,” according to the recently adopted section 4B of the Town Code.
“The Affordable Housing Committee shall develop scenarios under which moratoria under Section 8-30g(l) of the Connecticut General Statutes could be achieved and shall measure public support for each scenario,” according to the Code. “Each scenario shall address the type of projects involved, whether they would utilize Town property or require land acquisition, the projected costs of development and maintenance of each project, the impact on infrastructure, the likely sources of funding and the impact on taxpayers.”
The Town Council passed the updated ordinance establishing the Affordable Housing Committee last May. The prior Board of Selectmen tried to appoint members to it in October, but was unable to do so for what the former first selectman described as “political” reasons.
Appointment of the following Committee members is on the agenda for newly elected Board of Selectmen’s special meeting Wednesday (noting some members’ affiliations with municipal bodies, as spelled out in the Town Code):
- Hilary Ormond (Town Council)
- John Goodwin
- Michael Sweeney (Housing Authority)
- Jeff Williams
- Krista Neilson (Planning & Zoning Commission)
- Chris Wilson
- Jane Williams
- Bill Parrett
- Maria Weingarten (Board of Finance)
Under the ordinance, the committee also is responsible for educating the public on 8-30g, planned or pending applications for a moratorium, planned or pending affordable housing developments and locations or types of locations for future projects.
Under the state law known by its statute number, 8-30g, in towns where less than 10% of all housing stock qualifies as affordable (New Canaan is at 2.94%), developers who propose projects where a certain number of units are set aside to rent at affordable rates may appeal to the state after a local P&Z Commission denies their applications. New Canaan since its last moratorium lapsed in July 2021 has received three such applications, at Weed and Elm Streets (120 units, above Kimberly Place), Main Street (20 units) and Hill Street (93 units). P&Z denied all of them. Those applications are now under appeal in state Superior Court in Hartford. Also in state Superior Court is a developer’s appeal of the Historic District Commission’s denial of a “Certificate of Appropriateness” for the Main Street 8-30g proposal.
The town also is re-applying for another moratorium.
Under the Town Code section establishing the Affordable Housing Committee, the appointed body also will be responsible for sources of funding used to create more affordable units in New Canaan, beyond a mechanism that’s already in place whereby building permit fees collected by the town are set aside in a fund designated for that purpose. The group also will be responsible for preparing an annual report on its activities to the town.
[Note: Bill Parrett’s name has been added to the list of Affordable Housing Committee members in this article.]
Affordable housing should be built in the cluster concept, on town property, funded by state grants and, should be constructed as PHIUS certified houses. All such units shall be deemed affordable.
If Karp can make good profit margins with 30% affordable units, the town should be able to create apartments, 50% of which would be affordable, and have it cost virtually nothing. I’m sure there would be good demand for smaller units close to town from seniors looking to downsize and young people looking for a starter home. This way we don’t have to beg for state money.