Raghib Allie-Brennan

This Legislative Session, I introduced a bipartisan package of bills with State Senator Ryan Fazio advocating for changes to state statute 8-30g in an effort to increase local control over housing and zoning issues.

• Proposed S.B. No. 853
• Proposed S.B. No. 856
• Proposed S.B. No. 857
• Proposed H.B. No. 6416

Today, the Housing Committee is having a public hearing on several bills, including one that incorporated some of the proposals in our bills: H.B. No. 5326.

The bill’s most important reform is that it counts all naturally occurring affordable housing into a municipality’s calculation of its affordable housing under 8-30g. State statute 8-30g allows for certain development to bypass virtually all zoning regulations if the town doesn’t have at least 10% of its housing stock that is public housing or deed-restricted affordable housing. If a housing unit is affordable but not deed restricted or government housing, it does not count. Towns like Bethel should be able to get credit for all affordable housing, no matter what form, and also be empowered to promote whatever form of affordable housing it likes—rather than just have one kind imposed on it.

Bipartisan solutions are necessary to protect local control of towns and cities, while also creating affordable housing with local buy-in. I will keep you updated as this bill moves along the legislative process.