Westport looks to build affordable housing
WESTPORT — The town’s human services department has requested $150,000 from Westport’s American Rescue Plan Act funding to address affordable housing.
The department is looking to build low-density affordable housing at West Parish Road in an effort to address rising living expenses. Director of Human Services Elaine Daignault said in a recent letter to the town that the pandemic has “exacerbated” the housing crisis.
“Westport has a unique opportunity to take immediate action that addresses the Affordable Housing crisis by making a federal investment in our local community while improving outcomes for families and individuals in Westport,” Daignault said.
Daignault said the West Parish development is an opportunity for the town to create a smaller, less densely developed multi-family project, which would typically be challenging through traditional funding sources due to its small scale.
The West Parish property is currently owned by the state Department of Transportation. Recently, the first selectwoman and the planning and zoning chair went to the state to ask if it would consider dividing a piece of land so that an affordable housing developer could come in and create more housing.
Daignault said DOT agreed to do so is working with the state Department of Housing to determine how much of the property they will be willing to give to the town. Once the amount of land is decided on, the DOT will transfer that land to the housing department, which will then put out a request for proposals to affordable housing developers.
The $150,000 investment would be used for predevelopment costs, including architecture designing and zoning wetland applications, surveys, traffic and environmental work and engineering the site, among other uses.
Daignault said human services requested the funding from the town for preliminary surveys so that the project does not become “stagnant.” She believes it will speed up the process and will also push the town to invest in affordable housing.
She said this project will provide housing for essential workers and allow residents to live in a desirable location. She added the development will also help the town maintain its housing moratorium and create development without the use of state statute 8-30g, which allows developers to circumvent local zoning ordinances if a certain amount of the project is considered affordable.
“Dedicating ARPA funds to affordable housing development speaks directly to our town's values,” Daignault said. “It will allow struggling families who earn only a fraction of the town's annual median income to access safe, stable, and affordable housing.”
The Board of Finance approved the funding request on Feb. 9 and It will go in front of the RTM on March 1 for final approval.
Daignault said during the pandemic, long-term renters saw their rents rise “exponentially” or they lost their leases when rentals sold at “record sales prices.”
“While the hot real estate market has dramatically benefited homeowners, it has had the opposite impact on local renters,” she said. “The cost of buying or renting a home in Westport has skyrocketed.”
She added that every municipality has a “role in developing and implementing strategic affordable, multi-family housing if our state and region are to make an equitable recovery” from the pandemic.
The department of human services said the ARPA money can be used for affordable housing, based on a ruling from the U.S. Department of Treasury last month.
First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker did not immediately
respond to comment.
Daignault said this project is needed.
“It demonstrates that we are not blind to the negative impact of our strong real estate market on vulnerable populations,” she said. “In addition, these funds will steer Westport towards addressing its severe shortage of reasonably priced housing units.”
The town received its first moratorium on March 5, 2019, which is valid through March 5, 2023. Daignault said as the town
works toward a subsequent moratorium, projects like West Parish Road could help the town make that progress.
“The only way to create a measure of affordability in town without controversial, high-density, market rate development is to generate public-private partnerships that advance strategic, affordable housing development,” Daignault said.