Rep. Scott: Forum on Housing, Fair Share Presentation

The Housing, Planning and Development, Banking, and Insurance Committees held a joint informational forum on housing this week. We heard from the CT Association of Realtors about both the current state of real estate sales, and what the future trends look like. Representatives from the Home Builders & Remodelers Association also delivered remarks about the future of home production in Connecticut.

I’ve been sitting in on meetings with Eco Northwest, the company hired by the Office of Policy and Management, required by a bill I opposed in 2023. The group was tasked with creating a methodology for determining each municipality’s fair share housing allocation.

Public Act 23-207 tasked the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) with creating a methodology for determining each municipality’s fair share housing allocation. Department of Housing officials did not offer testimony in support or opposition to the 2023 bill. To me, that meant that the Department was not asking for nor pushing for this idea.

Eco Northwest delivered a presentation to a joint meeting of the House and the Planning and Development Committees yesterday.

The information presented yesterday was helpful, but I want to see the final draft of the policy before any legislative decisions are made. I worry that small towns like mine don’t have the infrastructure to handle large numbers of new housing units. We’ll see what the real numbers are, and assess how realistic it is.

The draft Fair Share Allocation Results are due in April, with Eco Northwest slated to present the final report in May or June.