Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday spoke about the state’s housing crisis and repeated calls for solutions to come through local control, while top Democrats in the legislature spoke about the need for state-level solutions and zoning reform.
The conversation at the second annual Connecticut Housing Conference in Hartford highlighted the differences between approaches from the state’s executive and legislative branches in addressing a severe shortage of housing, particularly affordable housing.
Connecticut lacks about 98,000 units of housing that are affordable and available to its lowest-income residents, and housing experts have long tied difficulties in building more housing to restrictive local zoning.
“We’re doing everything you can for rental support, eviction support, everything you can to allow you to stay in your home, or get a roof over your head,” Lamont said. “Housing is more than a roof over your head. It’s also a start. It gives you a chance to restart your life. And we have a lot more work to do there.”
Democrats said Thursday that they’re in agreement about the crisis.
“The lack of affordable housing is holding our state back,” said Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk.
The departure from the governor’s position centers around the role of the state in zoning. It’s one of the more controversial political issues in Connecticut and one lawmakers have grappled with for the past several legislative sessions.
Most of Connecticut’s residential land is zoned for single-family housing only, meaning that to build apartments, developers have to go through a special hearing process with local planning and zoning commissions.
Advocates and lawmakers in past legislative sessions have sought ways to make the process easier and reduce building costs for developers.
Lamont has said he favors local control and wants to see solutions from towns. He mentioned the possibilities of remediating polluted properties such as former mills or repurposing abandoned commercial space to turn into housing.
“My deal with the towns is, I want you to take the lead on this,” Lamont said. “You show us where that housing is going to go, and we’ll give you relief. But you take the lead, show us where you want that housing to go.”
Under his leadership, the state has taken out millions in bonding to build more housing and encourage homeownership. House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, and Duff pointed to this as evidence of Lamont’s commitment to housing.
Rojas, who is one of the key leaders on housing issues in the legislature, has argued for higher-level statewide reforms that would push municipalities to change their zoning.
“I do think we need the towns to lead. We also need the state to lead because we actually delegate our authority to the towns to do what they do,” Rojas said “So we empower them to make zoning decisions. So that means the state also has a role to play in that, and that’s just where I happen to disagree with the governor.”
Duff said all of Connecticut shares the responsibility for building more affordable housing.
“This is not just an issue for the cities in Connecticut,” Duff said. “This is an issue for every single community across the state of Connecticut. So I think the governor and we have all the same goals. We may approach it a little differently, but I think at the end of the day, we’re all looking to build more housing, bring in more taxpayers and grow this economy.”
Many Democratic lawmakers agree with Lamont and have argued for keeping zoning control at the local level. It’s been difficult to garner the political will around the issue that’s needed to pass major reform, Rojas said.
“I think the issue has been the fact that there’s been a lack of vision,” Duff said.
Rojas said he’s worried about what the state will look like in 10 years if there’s not action soon. He pointed to economic and racial segregation that’s been in place for decades in Connecticut.
“The biggest political question is zoning reform,” Rojas said. “Anything we can do to reduce the regulatory burdens with developers, to actually get how to build more quickly, is going to save money and allow us to build more quickly.”
Lamont spoke about the economic benefits of building more housing because more workers will be able to afford to live in the state if housing is more affordable.
“This state cannot grow and prosper unless there’s a place for everybody to live,” Lamont said. “People will start moving out of the state, unless there’s a place for people to live. That starts with affordable housing, making sure that everybody gets that start.”
Duff and Rojas said they’re also looking at ways to maximize affordable housing through local housing authorities.
Lamont pointed to members of the legislature, including Duff and Rojas, saying they were “front and center” in the push to build more housing.
“Housing is priority No. 1 for this administration, and we work with our friends in the legislature,” Lamont said. “It’s the right thing to do.”