Affordable housing could cost millions in New Canaan


NEW CANAAN — Tayxpayers could be paying millions if the town follows strategies outlined in its plan to control the development of Connecticut General Statue 8-30g affordable housing, one zoning commissioner says.

Planning and Zoning Commissioner John Engel, who said that the hefty total could derive from the town’s 8-30j plan, also said that a final cost should be determined to get taxpayers interested and involved in the affordable housing conversation.

Under Connecticut General Statute 8-30j, municipalities must submit the plan to outline how they will reach the state goal of having 10 percent of their housing stock affordable. Seemingly inconsistent with the goal of the law, New Canaan’s 8-30j plan mentions seeking 8-30g moratoriums on nearly 20 occasions. It also mentions maintaining a “rolling moratorium” as its first of four major strategies.

The town hopes to avoid 8-30g specific housing, in which developers can bypass local zoning laws, by building the number of units required every four years to qualify for a state 8-30g moratorium. Then, the town can “manage the type, form and location of affordable housing,” the plan states.

While fellow Planning and Zoning commissioners questioned how to estimate the cost of affordable housing, Engel advised that a new committee set a target number of housing units needed for the town before going to the Board of Finance. “Figure out how much money (is needed) based on the current cost of a unit of housing,” Engel said

A concern over the prominent mention of moratoriums in the report was raised by the Western Connecticut Council of Governments (WestCOG), according to Town Planner Lynn Brooks Avni. WestCOG is overseeing the regional 8-30j plan, of which New Canaan’s will be an appendix.


A note from Avni in the margin of the plan said that, according to WestCOG, New Canaan’s plan had too much of a focus on moratoriums throughout and that it can be misconstrued as the town’s sole purpose for providing affordable housing. The note suggested moving most of the references of moratoriums and refocusing strategies to increase affordable housing.

Commissioner Krista Neilson argued that moratoriums are the town’s strategy and the commission did not make changes to the plan, which is due to the state in June. The town hopes to receive an extension, just as roughly a dozen other towns have requested, Neilson said. The plan is expected to go before the Board of Selectmen June 7.

The plan estimates 75 affordable units would be required to be built every four years to earn enough housing unit equivalency points equal to two percent of all dwelling units in the town, as required by the state.

When commissioners said residents needed to learn more about affordable housing challenges, Engel was clear. “Once you tell the public it’s going to cost $10 million, the public will take interest,” Engle said before acknowledging the actual costs of the plan has not yet been determined.

The commissioners agreed that a permanent committee, not a subcommittee of the commission, will be set up to determine how the plan is to be funded, where the housing could be built and how residents will be educated.

Engel said there is no better way to educate the public than to assign a cost, as well as a total number in terms of taxes. He also said that there is very little accumulating of the nearly $400,000 deposited in the towns affordable housing account annually, since it is used for present projects. The money is raised from zoning permit fees that are collected for any new building construction or addition that will be located in any zone.

Town officials and residents raised concerns earlier this year about an application under 8-30g for an 102-unit apartment complex on the corner of Weed and Elm Street and potential plans for another 101-units on Hill Street.

Some have questioned the town’s current lack of an 8-30g moratorium after the building of Canaan Parish, where 60 new units were recently completed and another 40 units are soon to be completed. Town officials have publicly blamed a delay in the construction on the corner of Lakeview Avenue and Route 123, which was attributed to the pandemic, for the lack of moratorium.



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