‘Lives will be made better’ by adopting housing bill
Darien was founded in the 1800s as an exclusive community for wealthy people. In the early 1900s elected leaders reaffirmed this concept and declared that Darien will be home to singlefamily residences and not a home to businesses. Although in 2021, we have become a more inclusive community since then, we still have work to do. We live in a deeply segregated state. Today, it’s time to desegregate Connecticut by SB 1024, a bill that would enact zoning reform.
The facts are clear — while Connecticut is one of the wealthiest states in the nation, we are also one of the most segregated, and maintain one of the highest achievement and wealth gaps in the country. Restrictive zoning policies directly contribute to this institutionalized segregation and disparity. In many of towns that are high opportunity their zoning regulations often require two-acre minimum zoning, unnecessary numbers of parking spaces and prohibit apartment-style homes. Requirements like these contribute to the injustice and disparity in Connecticut. Recognizing that 73 percent of Black people and 73 percent of the Latino population live in areas of low opportunity compared with 26 percent of white people and 36 percent of Asian people, this can’t be random.
Change is never easy, but it’s time. In 2021, we continue to let old fears get in the way of building a better Connecticut by perpetuating myths and using fear tactics blurring the real issue of affordability and addressing the disparity that exists in our towns and state.
Municipal leaders have a significant part to play in creating change. When I was first selectwoman of Darien, we prioritized the construction of new, affordable homes in our community; the adoption of an Affordable Housing Plan which is being revised; and adopted Darien’s Inclusionary Zoning regulation. Although we made some local progress, I did not fully appreciate the injustices caused by zoning laws, demonstrating our efforts were
not enough to create necessary change. The Connecticut Conference of Municipalities realizes that these injustices can only be fixed through joint action between state and local governments, which is why SB 1024 forges a new collaborative relationship between both groups.
As the Connecticut commissioner of housing, I saw firsthand how bad zoning policies contribute to institutional racism. If you don’t have a safe, affordable home it’s harder to find a job, go to school and provide for your families’ future. That’s why, during my time as commissioner, we contributed to the construction of 22,000 affordable homes across Connecticut, and championed a number of zoning reforms including statewide Inclusionary Zoning, revising 8-2 the Zoning Enabling Act and others.
I remain active in the housing and zoning arena as a co-founder of Darien Talks Housing< which is a monthly fact-based thoughtful discussion on housing and zoning issues including 2021 proposed legislation. Law Professor Sara Bronin, Rep. Cristen McCarthyVahey (D-Fairfield), Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D-East Hartford) and Sen. Saud Anwar (DSouth Windsor) have been featured presenters along with certified planners and thought leaders in the state and region. We’ve received tremendous support for the series as well as for the proposed reforms. Not a week has gone by without someone contacting me for help in finding an affordable home not only in Darien, but also in Fairfield County.
As we continue to learn more about housing and zoning in Darien, one statistic is worth noting: 29
percent of Darien households are cost burdened by housing. That’s 2,200 families out of 7,400 pay upward of 30 percent of their income on housing costs. Said another way, 2,200 families who are having a hard time making ends meet and making hard choices. SB 1024 is good for the budgets of Darien families.
When legislators declare that zoning reform will destroy our towns, remember that Darien has already taken many actions proposed in SB 1024. For example, we have capped costly parking mandates for our businesses and now it’s time to do the same for housing. We have built cluster homes in single family neighborhoods, and we train our Planning and Development Commissioners. While some components of SB 1024 will impact our town, others will extend Darien’s positive zoning innovations to other parts of the state.
With all of the technical terms and legal standards surrounding this issue it’s important to remember the people whose lives will be made better by adopting this bill. So, when we talk about density, unit count, parking, TOD and ADUs we are really talking about: children having a stable home to come back to after school, a working mom being able to afford to both feed her family healthy food and the roof over her family’s head, senior citizens being able to stay in the communities they helped build. We need to pass SB 1024 for Darien’s families and the families of Connecticut.