Zoning reforms should be a state priority

Hysterical responses to common sense reforms don’t reflect well on anyone.

Connecticut was presented this year with a rare opportunity to close some of its longstanding gaps in housing equity, with multiple bills on offer that could increase affordability and diversity in its most racially isolated suburbs. Unfortunately, Connecticut lawmakers may be poised to let this opportunity go to waste. They would have no one to blame but themselves. The measure that has attracted the most attention is one championed by the group Desegregate CT, which by its very name strikes some unwelcome notes in certain sectors. We are by any definition a segregated state, with most Black residents concentrated in just a few cities, and some suburbs overwhelmingly white. But for some opponents of reform, being reminded of that fact is considered an attack, which may explain some of the hostility the bill has faced. The proposals themselves, though, are far from radical. One key provision opponents have already fought off would have allowed multifamily housing without a public hearing in certain parts of towns that are predisposed to it, such as around train stations or on main streets. Even that was too much for reactionaries, who have called the plan a wholesale elimination of local control. It’s nothing of the sort. Hysterical responses to common sense reforms don’t reflect well on anyone. A remaining proposal is to allow what are known as accessory dwelling units, which can take the form of an apartment over a garage or in the basement, in towns that don’t currently allow them. These would hardly change the look of neighborhoods at all, though they would offer some flexibility for homeowners and potential residents. Whether the measure survives, though, is uncertain. A second bill, the so- called “Fair Share” plan, would require towns that have for decades shirked their responsibilities to the state to start to make up ground in their housing. Towns that don’t make progress would be subject to lawsuits. This plan appears dead, having failed to make it out of committee, though backers say it could still be revived. Suburbs have succeeded by walling off social problems in cities that have seen declining industry and rising tax rates, then those same suburbs publicly ask why cities can’t get their financial house in order. The reason is that suburbs are set up not to let them, hoarding wealth and erecting barriers between communities that cement inequality in place for generations. Asking towns to pay a fair share on housing is a small price for all that. Democrats, who hold overwhelming majorities, will be tempted to blame Republicans for the lack of progress on these bills, and certainly a lack of any interest in passing the bills from the minority party is a problem. But if Democrats, including Gov. Ned Lamont, wanted these bills to pass, they would. It’s on them to see that the promise seen earlier in the session is not lost. Connecticut housing is due for an overhaul. Nothing on offer would erase “neighborhood character” or cause the harm opponents are claiming. Democrats need to overcome their fears and pass a meaningful bill.