Group files zoning challenge, wants more affordable housing

WOODBRIDGE — Open Communities Alliance, a civil rights organization, has requested the Woodbridge Planning and Zoning Commission amend its zoning policies to allow it to add to the affordable housing stock, in a region where there is a huge demand.

Currently, only 43 of the 3,000 housing units in Woodbridge are considered affordable by state definition, according to the Alliance, with 30 of them reserved for senior citizens.

Presently, 99.8 percent of the town is zoned for single-family homes on large lots; no developments with 3 or more units are allowed.

The group alleged that Woodbridge is a “pioneer in exclusionary zoning,” where restrictions were put in place almost 100 years ago, serving as a template for others in the state.

First Selectwoman Beth Heller said Tuesday she could not comment on the group’s application because it was submitted to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

In conjunction with the zoning amendment, Open Communities Trust LLC has acquired land at 2 Orchard Road and has proposed building a 4-unit, mixed-income development there, a proposal that would require a public hearing.

Erin Boggs, executive director of Open Communities Alliance, is listed as the manager member of the trust. She is hoping that a change in zoning in Woodbridge will be a catalyst for the entire state.

As part of its #OpenWoodbridge campaign, the Alliance alleges that the town’s “hyper-restrictive zoning” keeps out low- and middle-income families who are disproportionately Black and Hispanic. It alleges the multi-family ban is in violation of the Connecticut Zoning Enabling Act and other state and federal laws.

The group said the act requires local zoning to “promote ... housing for both low and moderate income households” and to “encourage ... opportunities for multi-family dwellings … for all residents of the municipality and the planning region.”

The Alliance claims Woodbridge for decades has failed to loosen its restrictions, during which time the housing crisis in Connecticut has gotten worse.