Lamont names Stonington resident to head housing-transit initiative

Stonington — Gov. Ned Lamont has named borough resident Lisa Tepper Bates to a new position in which she will work on creating new housing that has easy access to transportation options.

The effort is expected to not only provide a range of new housing options for areas that need them but lure new workers to the state and spur the economy.

Tepper Bates has extensive experience in the housing world as she was the executive director of Mystic Area Shelter and Hospitality and then the chief executive director of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness. She also serves on the board of the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.

During Tepper Bates' tenure at the coalition, the state achieved the distinction of being one of the first two states recognized by the federal government for effectively ending homelessness among veterans, and saw three straight years of a decline in homeless residents.

Her new position is entitled senior coordinator for housing and transit-oriented development. She is scheduled to begin work Monday.

Tepper Bates said Sunday that she will work with municipalities to promote the creation of transit-oriented housing development. She said state assistance could come in the form technical, financial and other help.

In eastern Connecticut, Bates said she would be working with communities to construct housing to accommodate the many new employees that Electric Boat plans to hire in the coming years. She added there is also a pressing need for such housing in Fairfield County.

She said people both young and old want to move to communities that are not only walkable but have easy access to transit options.

She said she plans to spend a lot of time working with communities to determine what their needs are and how they want to pursue growth.

Tepper Bates said she was excited to be named to the position. “I'm one of those people who get excited about how we can make big systems work more efficiently,” she said.