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On Wednesday, the House met to vote on a number of bills in a special session. Today I will offer information regarding housing bill we passed and share more tomorrow about the other legislation we debated.
HB 8002 - An Act Concerning Housing Growth - elicited the most debate, due to both the bill's content and the process for passage. I received a number of e-mails regarding HB 8002. Over the years and again in recent months and weeks, I have had numerous conversations with neighbors, business owners, service providers, seniors, students, fellow policy makers, town and state officials and subject matter experts that have led to my support of the policies passed by the House yesterday and being debated by the Senate today.
Home is so personal for each of us. For those fortunate enough to own a home, it is likely our largest investment. That desire to protect and preserve place and space is universal, human. At the same time, it is understandable that those who struggle to find, afford, or remain in a home seek better options.
‘Just Say No’ was a failed drug prevention policy in the 1980s and it will not work in how we approach planning and development in our communities today. We need balance, sustainability, opportunity, and affordability. The need for a more diverse housing stock is acute, with Connecticut vacancy rates among the lowest in the nation.
As I shared in my last e-blast, between February 2017 and February 2025, median home values rose from $147,941 in Bridgeport and $572,499 in Fairfield to $332, 836 and $865,670 with rents averaging $1,500 and $3,000, respectively, and on the rise. Just last week, I met a manufacturing business owner employing 180 people in a nearby community who shared that they are looking for land out West. The reason? The cost of housing for their employees. They won't pay any less elsewhere, but their employees will be able to afford housing.
The Connecticut Business and Industry Association's Foundation for Economic Growth report recommended a number of reforms, some of which are included in HB 8002. Speaking of what is included in HB 8002, below is access to source documents for you to see and read for yourself. I encourage you to take a minute, click on the link and not rely solely on the bias (we all have them) and sometimes inaccuracies in information shared by either advocates or opponents of any given policy.
You can read the plain language analysis of the bill here. It begins with a few pages of brief summaries of each of the 53 sections, and goes on to outline the specific aspects of each section. This analysis is prepared by the nonpartisan legislative attorneys in the Office of Legislative Research. It is source material, along with the bill itself.
The bill includes quite a few items, from elevator inspections and fire hydrants at mobile home parks, to greyfield revitalization and housing authority reporting requirements. A few key aspects of the bill which provide benefits to Bridgeport and Fairfield include:
- Increased Planning resources from both the Councils of Government (run by the chief elected officials of each municipality) and the Office of Policy and Management. This will mean technical support and assistance and expertise to support local planning efforts.
- A move from Affordable Housing Plans to Housing Growth Plans. These more inclusive plans will provide the opportunity for our communities to have specific and proactive conversations about where and how our municipalities would like to see future development. Like the POCD, these will be developed through a public process.
- A 5% percentage point increase (e.g., 22% to 27%) in School construction funds for communities that have met certain requirements, including adoption of a development district through an MOU with CMDA. This is work that Fairfield's local officials have already undertaken. This will mean millions more dollars in reimbursement for the Dwight Elementary School.
- Changes to the parking minimums from the 24 units approved in HB 5002 last Spring to 16 units in the new bill. Communities may also create conservation and traffic mitigation areas to assure sufficient parking access in designated areas.
- A new First Time homebuyers program creating tax deductions for individuals and tax credits for employers who contribute to a specialized saving account. Single filers with an AGI below $125,000 and couples under $250,000 qualify.
- Additional resources for infrastructure enhancements
- Enhanced clean water fund rates
Whatever your position on housing policy, I hope the conversations about just how we change and grow will continue in ways that are constructive and solution-focused.
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