Stamford Advocate

Affordable housing task force meets

- By J.D. Freda

NEW CANAAN — While one affordable housing project nears completion at Canaan Parish, the town has called upon the services of a number of local experts to form a task force to discuss regulation­s for handling such projects in the future.

On Monday, that newly assembled task force, laden with members of the Planning and Zoning Commission and local developers, met and discussed various aspects of how to best deal with future affordable housing proposals.

At an Aug. 31 Planning and Zoning meeting, a suggestion was given to create a task force to have “honest discussion­s” on what the town is doing right and what it could be doing better in terms of promoting and handling affordable housing options.

P&Z Commission­er Krista Neilson said she has been working on affordable housing regulation­s for roughly six months. In her presentati­on, she focused on two key aspects of affordable housing: fee in lieu and bonuses.

“Fee in lieu” is the general term used for an amount of money allotted to be paid to the state by the developers of a piece of property.

Neilson cited statewide average median income statistics, which for a family of four is $102,600, and town specific statistics to calculate estimates for fee in lieu options. The average median income for a family of four in

New Canaan is $151,800.

The commission member then laid out the difference­s developers would need to pay, based on the numbers.

If a developer paid 300 percent of the statewide median income in fee in lieu, that total would be $307,800, while paying that same percentage in New Canaan would require $455,400.

If a developer were to pay 400 percent of those median incomes, the amounts would be $410,400 and $607,200 for state and town, respective­ly.

She then asked members of the task force how they should proceed with the town’s fee in lieu structure and “what ballpark” they should be in.

She then laid out density bonus allowances per zone.

In accordance with Connecticu­t General Statute 8-30g and according to the state, Fairfield County set aside “town-owned property and dedicating funds for new housing developmen­t as well as amending its zoning regulation­s to permit accessory dwelling units and to encourage affordable housing through density bonuses and in mixed-use developmen­ts.”

Neilson said the multi-family zone currently allows four to six dwelling units per acre, while the apartment zone currently allows eight dwelling units per acre. The retail and business zone allows 29 dwelling units per acre.

With a proposed 20 percent bonus allowance for affordable dwelling units, the apartment zone bumps up to 4.8 to 7.2 dwelling units per acre, the apartment zone increases to 10 dwelling units per acre and the retail and business zone jumps to 34.

To accommodat­e the increased density, the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission may now allow either an additional story or 10 additional feet in height, 10 percent modified coverage, setbacks and recreation­al areas, and some modificati­on to parking when reviewing an affordable housing proposal.

Steinberg and other local experts favored a one-to-one affordable to market-rate ratio. Having the same amount of market-rate units as affordable housing units would help offset cost.

Nielson and Town Planner Lynn Avni Brooks will receive further comments from developers on best practices and how they would amend regulation­s moving forward. Those will come later this week, and the task force will reconvene Sept. 28.

“This is incredibly helpful,” Nielson said. “We’re going to do our best, so send us your comments.”

 ?? Contribute­d Photo ?? Planning and Zoning Commission­er Krista Nielson led the first affordable housing task force group session on Monday.
Contribute­d Photo Planning and Zoning Commission­er Krista Nielson led the first affordable housing task force group session on Monday.

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