HARTFORD – State Rep. John Frey (R-111) hailed the passage of legislation reforming Connecticut’s affordable housing laws as “a good sign” for towns in Connecticut. The bipartisan bill, HB 6880, passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday night by a vote of 116-33.
Rep. Frey co-sponsored the bill, which makes several critical reforms that will restore the ability of communities to make comprehensive planning decisions regarding development. Among the provisions of the bill include lowering the minimum number of HUE points smaller municipalities must obtain to qualify for a moratorium, making affordable housing moratoriums more achievable for midsize cities while applying for a second moratorium and would last for 5 years, and changing the definition of Median Income applicable to IHZ’s to conform to 8-30g’s definition.
“Reforming our state’s outdated and onerous affordable housing laws has long been a priority for me; I served two terms on the Housing Committee so I could shepherd some of these changes through,” said Rep. Frey. “The bill that was passed makes it easier for towns to achieve a moratorium on affordable housing so that predatory developers cannot easily bypass town zoning boards. Although the final bill does not include all of the reforms I wanted to see, this is a step in the right direction for returning authority over developments to municipalities for the betterment of the community, while still making sure we provide sufficient affordable housing. I think this bill has a good chance in the Senate and I will continue to fight for further modernizations of 8-30g.”
This proposal now heads to the State Senate for final legislative action before heading to the governor’s desk for his signature before the June 7th deadline.