HARTFORD – State Rep. John Frey (R-111) submitted testimony last week in support of two pieces of legislation he introduced to revise section 8-30g of the Affordable Housing Land Use Appeals Procedure to fix certain deficiencies in the statute.
The 8-30g statute, which coerces local planning boards to permit the development of affordable housing, forbids a town from denying a developer’s application to build affordable housing if less than 10% of the town’s housing stock qualifies as affordable. H.B. 6558 addresses inequities in affordable housing law by increasing the term of a moratorium under the statute and giving municipalities more control over the issue of affordable housing.
“Increasing the moratorium term would reward towns who achieve significant affordable housing growth and give them more of a say on how affordable housing is created in their communities,” Rep. Frey said to the General Assembly’s Housing Committee. “Additionally, allowing municipalities to have a longer moratorium will encourage them to produce and implement an affordable housing plan that will help them reach the 10% goal by the end of that moratorium. Representing a town that is currently in a moratorium period, I can attest to the difficulty in putting a plan in place in just 48 months.”
Rep. Frey also stressed the importance of making sure public drinking water supplies are not put in jeopardy by over-development in his testimony on H.B. 6066, which restricts developments in watershed areas.
“The Conservation and Developmental Policies Plan for Connecticut clearly recommends that intensive development be guided away from existing and potential water supply watersheds and aquifers and that consideration be given to the cumulative effects of incremental growth in state, regional, and local planning programs and regulations,” Rep. Frey said. “We learned this firsthand when Eureka presented their 8-30g Bennett’s Farm Road application. The CT Department of Public Health expressed serious concerns with dense housing developments in watershed areas. We have the opportunity to prevent unintended consequences from occurring by putting our public water at risk. Let’s codify the State Health recommendations of two acre minimum lot size of 8-30g applicants in a designated watershed area. This is too important of an issue to leave to legal appeal and adjudication.”
"Connecticut has made tremendous strides in protecting open space and watershed lands to preserve the state’s natural resources for future generations. Although we understand and support the special considerations in Connecticut’s law aimed at promoting affordable housing opportunities for individuals, as stewards of the state’s water resources, we are also concerned that high density developments on watershed land could undermine the protection of Connecticut’s public water supplies," said Elizabeth Gara of Connecticut Water Works Association.
"Under current law, Class I and Class II watershed land that is owned by a water company is protected from any development or activities which may undermine the quality of the public water supply source. However, some watershed land is privately owned and is not afforded the same level of protection. CWWA therefore supports HB-6606, which is consistent which will help protect the purity and integrity of our public water supplies," Gara added
Rep. Frey has also introduced H.B. No. 6935 which would exempt properties in a municipal historic district from 8-30g affordable housing developments. "Intense development in historic districts and removal of historically significant buildings could negatively impact the New England charm and heritage that we all treasure," added Rep. Frey.
This bill was referred to the legislature's Planning and Development for further action.