PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC HEARING

On Monday, March 15 beginning at 10:00 a.m., the Planning and Development Committee will hear testimony on several bills that could change how our communities make major decisions on local zoning and land use.

Below is a summary of the proposals and instructions on how to testify.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED BILLS

There are five bills that I would like to highlight.

S.B. 1024 – An Act Concerning (AAC) Zoning Authority, Certain Design Guidelines, Qualifications of Certain Land Use Officials and Certain Sewage Disposal Systems

S.B. 1027 – AAC Accessory Dwelling Units and Zoning Regulations

H.B. 6107 – AAC the Reorganization of the Zoning Enabling Act and the Promotion of Municipal Compliance

H.B. 6611 – AAC a Needs Assessment and Other Policies Regarding Affordable Housing and Development

H.B. 6613 – AAC Accessory Apartments, Middle Housing and Multifamily Housing

The need for more affordable housing must be addressed and should be a priority for every community, but this should be done at the local level.

The bills listed above, introduced by Hartford Democrats, would infringe upon local zoning rights. We elect individuals to make zoning decisions that are in the best interest of local residents, but the proposals below would undermine this process by inviting outside “experts” to enact mandates on our municipalities.

If they became laws, these proposals would:

• Permit developers to construct multi-family buildings wherever they want (within certain areas) without informing or seeking approval from area residents. They could essentially bypass the local public hearing process.

• Supersede local zoning regulations and ordinances, making “home rule” a thing of the past

• Eliminate lot size requirements in certain areas, meaning homes could be built more closely together

• Mandate every city and town allow for the construction of four-unit dwellings on any lot in every residential zone

• Eliminate “character of town” as a basis for zoning requirements, meaning historical and architectural features of towns and existing buildings could not be used as a baseline for regulating future developments

• Create new traffic, environmental, and infrastructure (sewage and water supply) issues for towns, especially with an unexpected increase in the town’s population

• Prohibit towns from using “preservation of land values” as a factor in zoning regulations

• Create new training mandates for local zoning officials. This cost would likely become the burden of the towns.

Generally speaking, it may be difficult, if not impossible, for municipalities to comply with these new mandates and regulations. There are other solutions to the issue of affordable housing and they should be explored before the state causes major disruptions to the municipal zoning process.

There are several more points worth noting in these bills, so I encourage you to review the proposals carefully. CLICK HERE to view the full list of bills on the agenda, which include links to the actual bill language.

HOW TO TESTIFY

Testify LIVE via Zoom

• Complete the Online Testimony Registration Form by 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 14!
• The speaking order will be posted on the Planning and Development Committee website at 8:00 p.m. on March 14. Look under “Public Hearing Testimony”.

Testify via Email

• Email written testimony (Word of PDF format) to PDtestimony@cga.ct.gov. Please include your name and the appropriate bill number(s) in the document AND in the subject line of your email.

Testify by Phone

• Call the Phone Registrant Line and leave your information: (203) 350-3769