Study Planned To Identify Best Sites

For Affordable Housing 

By Andrew Gorosko

The Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) has learned that it will receive a $50,000 state grant to cover the costs for a study on “affordable housing” policy, including identifying the local sites best suited for such multifamily housing complexes.

In a February 23 letter to First Selectman Joe Borst, W. David LeVasseur of the state Office of Policy and Management (OPM) writes that the town has been awarded the grant money intended to determine the best locations for affordable housing complexes, as well the revising of the P&Z’s regulations on such complexes. The term that the OPM now uses to describe affordable housing is “incentive housing.”

In a typical affordable housing complex, a land use regulatory agency offers a developer a “density bonus” to create affordable housing that is intended for moderate-income and low-income families. Such a density bonus allows the developer to build a larger number of dwellings than would be normally allowed at a site, provided that about one-third of the units are designated for moderate-income and low-income families and are sold at prices lower than the market rate for such dwellings. Thus, the market-rate units on the site subsidize the affordable units there.

P&Z Chairman Lilla Dean said March 4 of the town’s grant approval, “I’m excited...I’m very excited that we got it.”

Ms Dean said she hopes the planning study specifies the best locations for affordable housing.

As part of the planning study, the P&Z will get legal advice on whether it is permissible for the town to give both municipal employees and the members of local volunteer emergency services agencies the first preference in acquiring the affordable units in affordable housing complexes, she said.

The P&Z’s regulations on affordable housing do not include wording that provides for preferred treatment for such workers, she said, adding that it needs to be clarified whether such wording can legally be added to the P&Z’s regulations.

After the planning documents on affordable housing are prepared by a planning consultant, P&Z members would meet to discuss how the town’s affordable housing regulations may be revised to make them more workable regulations, she said. 

Ms Dean noted that the grant requires that the town perform its study on affordable housing within the next four months.

In its grant application to the OPM, the P&Z identified five tasks that would be part of the study.

The project would involve an assessment of existing housing conditions, including a housing market analysis to identity gaps in the current supply of affordable housing. The project would include research on local needs in terms of whether affordable housing should be owner-occupied or renter-occupied, what prices should be listed for sale units and rental units, and whether the housing should be single-family houses, multifamily buildings, or cluster-style housing.

Also, the study would identify the geographical locations in town which are most appropriate for affordable housing based on issues including the zoning regulations, the availability of public utilities, and the sites which are suitable for high-density development.

The study also would review the prospect of reduced land acquisition costs for affordable housing sites and the possibility of obtaining low-interest development financing for such projects.

 The planning study would include a process through which the existing zoning regulations on affordable housing could be revised based on the findings of the planning study.

Town Land Use Agency Director George Benson said the planning study will start as soon as possible.

Of the town’s receiving the study grant, he said, “It’s really great. We’re competing [for grant money] with a lot of other towns in the state.”

 The planning study represents the final piece of public policy research required for the town to prepare for future affordable housing applications, he said.

On the topic of affordable housing, the 2004 Town Plan of Conservation and Development states that the town lacks an adequate supply of housing for a broad spectrum of ages and incomes. Also, many people who work in town do not have an opportunity to live in the town where they work, it adds.

“Due to the lack of affordable housing, some Newtown residents will not continue to reside in town, as their personal circumstances, incomes, and housing needs change over time,” it adds.

A goal of the 2004 Town Plan is: “Strive for a more balanced supply of housing types that will accommodate the housing needs of Newtown residents and those working in Newtown.”