League of Women Voters hosts debate on state zoning bill

GREENWICH — First Selectman Fred Camillo said local municipalities are “under assault” by proposed Senate Bill 1024, saying its “one-size-fits-all” approach would remove local control over zoning decisions. But Desegregate CT, a coalition of 66 organizations, says the bill would provide more housing while addressing inequities in housing and zoning laws.

In an effort to sort out the facts from the rhetoric, the League of Women Voters of Greenwich hosted a Zoom event on the issue on Wednesday called “Just the Facts: How Desegregate CT Would Impact Greenwich.”

“This event is being presented purely for informational purposes,” league board member and co-chair of its communications committee Aya DeSimone said. While the nonpartisan league supports inclusive housing, DeSimone said it has not taken a position on any of the housing bills before the General Assembly in Hartford.

Sara Bronin, founder and lead organizer for Desegregate

CT, was among the panelists along with town Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Margarita Alban and town Director of Planning and Zoning Katie DeLuca.

Alban explained her opposition to the bill, saying that in Greenwich it could put too much housing near train stations. And its impact could also be the opposite of what is intended, she said, and not create affordable units but rather give developers leeway to build more luxury housing.

“We believe towns should have the freedom to decide their affordability requirements,” Alban said. Under the bill, “Greenwich will gain more luxury units and lose our existing housing diversity.”

The bill could also limit public input on developments, Alban said, pushing back on the idea that Greenwich residents oppose only multi-unit developments. There was just as much opposition to many large mansions in town, she said.

“I believe public input is the foundation of the democratic process,” Alban said. “Sara knows I feel very passionately about this and we should continue having hearings on applications.”

Also, Greenwich is working on its own solutions for creating more affordable housing and meeting the state’s mandate that 10 percent of overall housing units in a municipality be designated as affordable, Alban and DeLuca said.

It is a challenge to create affordable housing in Greenwich due to the high land value, DeLuca said. But the town remains committed to meeting the state requirements and its own town goals as well, she said.

“The overall plan is quite extensive,” DeLuca said. “It is a multi-prong approach. It is very specific to Greenwich, recognizing our needs and what works in our community.”

There are four options, she said, to promote affordable housing in town: designated moderate-income housing for the workforce, accessory apartments, zones for elderly housing and housing set aside through state statute 8-30g.

Also, Alban has proposed creating a housing trust fund that would allow private money to be raised and given to developers to build or refurbish affordable housing units. The Planning and Zoning Commission is finalizing the language on the proposal, with a plan to send it to the Representative Town Meeting by September or sooner for a vote, she said.

Bronin said residents do not have anything to fear from the bill, which she said would leave a lot of control with local zoning boards and commissions. If the bill passes, she said it would call for some parking changes and other requirements, including training for town zoning commission members, but not much else.

“I can’t really see a lot else that changes in Greenwich,” Bronin said. “Hopefully that assuages some fears going around.”

During the question-andanswer session, Bronin repeated that the town would not lose its authority under the bill.

“Our proposals do not touch 8-30g or really have anything to do with large multifamily housing,” she said. “Whatever you’ve heard about condos raining down from the sky and 100-unit buildings being permitted, that’s not what our bill proposes.”

Desegregate CT is looking at statewide legislation to address the housing issue, Bronin said, and is not in litigation against any towns. The goal to create more attached and detached accessory dwelling units that are affordable and to diversify community housing stocks, she said.

“We believe we have an opportunity right now to take the first step in modest ways to change our land use to address some pressing issues that I think we all recognize that we have in our society,” Bronin said.

Building affordable housing close to train stations, so residents can have access to mass transportation, is a big component of Desegregate CT’s efforts, she said.

Both sides pointed out that there were areas of agreement between them.

“Sara Bronin has rendered an enormous service to our state by bringing the discussion about housing diversity and the need for greater affordability to the fore,” Alban said. “The town of Greenwich is committed to those goals. We may not agree on some of the approaches being proposed but we absolutely recognize the need.”

Bronin said she appreciated the efforts by DeLuca and Alban “to try to move things forward” in Greenwich.

The League of Women Voters of Greenwich organized the program in partnership with the YWCA Greenwich and the Greenwich Association of Realtors. The league will post the discussion on its website at www.lwvgreenwich.org.