The town of Fairfield is undergoing an affordable housing moratorium for the next four years. Meanwhile, Easton, which is ranked 163rd of 169 Connecticut municipalities in terms of the percentage of affordable housing in the community, is working on creating accessory dwellings that are affordable.
“Our options are limited by a complete lack of sewage (treatment) and the fact that 75 to 80 percent of the town is watershed,” said First Selectman David Bindelglass. “We’re watching to see how things play out with the (state) Legislature as it considers modifications to bills regarding this. Most bills get stuck in committee or don’t get voted into law. We will take a wait-and-see attitude.”
The affordable housing plan Easton submitted to the state looks at accessory structures, “in-law” or accessory apartments and converting the “old” Samuel Staples Elementary School at 660 Morehouse Road into housing as options.
In its June 2, 2022 report, the Board of Selectmen’s Affordable Housing Committee determined that accessory dwelling units could provide additional housing options and choices in Easton and provide housing that is more affordable.
“With recent changes in state law, it would seem to make sense to revisit the regulatory approach in Easton with regard to registering existing units which may exist, enabling new units to be created, and addressing other opportunities which may exist,” the committee said.
An accessory dwelling unit is a separate dwelling unit located on the same lot as a larger, principal dwelling unit, with cooking facilities, and which complies with or is otherwise exempt from any applicable building code, fire code and health and safety regulations. An affordable unit is one which, for a period of not less than 10 years, inhabitants pay 30% or less of their income, where such income is less than or equal to 80% of the median income.
On April 1, Fairfield First Selectman Bill Gerber announced that the state’s Department of Housing had determined that the town had met the requirements for a moratorium—formally known as a Certificate of Affordable Housing Project Completion—for demonstrating it has been actively pursuing affordable housing development and meeting certain thresholds. Under the moratorium, developers can’t appeal to the town for denying affordable housing proposals under 8-30g, the Connecticut Affordable Housing Land Use Appeals Procedure.
“While the moratorium represents a significant milestone, we know that it is only temporary, and that our work continues,” said Mark Barnhart, director of community and economic development for Fairfield. “Further, we know that the need for more attainable housing options has never been greater. But the good news on both counts is that we have a number of projects already approved or under construction that will allow us to continue to make progress on meeting our housing needs and qualifying for a subsequent moratorium.”
Gerber said, “During the upcoming moratorium, Fairfield can leverage greater control over the size and design of developments. We have been making steady progress in increasing our affordable housing inventory, mostly by increasing the number of units that are deed restricted. Our goal is to continue to diversify Fairfield’s housing stock as we recognize the need for more housing choices for Fairfield’s residents.”
Fairfield’s most recent Affordable Housing Plan calls for the town to explore ways to create “middle housing,” or multifamily developments built on a more modest scale, such as duplexes or triplexes, instead of multistory apartment buildings.
With Habitat for Humanity, its second project will add more middle housing with two new elevated duplexes at 385 and 402 Quincy Street. The first, at 244 Greenfield St., is expected to be ready for occupancy in June.
Barnhart noted that a number of pending development applications are considered “grandfathered,” and must be considered by Fairfield’s Plan and Zoning Commission, as they were submitted before the moratorium took effect. Fairfield has 10 pending applications filed under the state’s Affordable Housing Act. Should any of these applications be constructed, 30% of all units would be deed restricted and available to income-eligible households.
Bindelglass said the state had accessory dwelling unit regulations that a town could opt into or out of. “Our Planning and Zoning Commission agreed to create its own regulations,” he said, which it did in October 2023.
