LTE: A Note on Funding Affordable Housing on High Street

The following open letter/Letter to the Editor is by Fairfield First Selectwoman Christine Vitale:

To my fellow Fairfielders,

At our October 29 meeting, the Board of Selectmen voted in alignment with the Fairfield Affordable Housing Committee who voted on this project in a publicly noticed meeting on Oct. 8, to approve the expenditure of $570,000 from the developer-funded Affordable Housing Trust Fund to the non-profit, Fairfield Housing Corporation, for the development of a 100% affordable 40-unit assisted housing development at 980 High Street.

Fairfield created an Affordable Housing Plan per state law that would cover 2022-2027, and committed to building 50 affordable homes during that time. This project is consistent with the Town’s plan, and is the fruition of bipartisan work across multiple administrations to meet the town’s affordable housing needs.

This project is an ideal candidate for support from the trust fund. It will include safe, stable homes for our most vulnerable residents like seniors and very low-income families. It also includes homes that will support adults with intellectual disabilities, something that’s very personal to me.

We talk so much about affordability in Fairfield, and that we want this to be a town where people of any age can afford to live. Permanently affordable housing like this — including the kind of deeply affordable homes rarely proposed — is an ideal way to make sure seniors can remain in Fairfield when they retire; young families can send their kids to excellent schools; and adults with intellectual disabilities can live in a community with the support they need to be independent.

This project represents what Fairfield does best — coming together to create thoughtful, responsible solutions that strengthen our community. By supporting quality, permanently affordable housing, we are honoring our commitment to keep Fairfield a place where everyone can belong — seniors who’ve built their lives here, young families starting out, and residents with special needs who deserve to live with dignity and support. This is a plan built on collaboration, transparency, and care for our neighbors — a smart investment in Fairfield’s future that reflects our shared values of inclusion, stability, and opportunity for all.

Is the $570,000 taxpayer money?
No, this is not taxpayer money. Developers pay fees into the trust fund when their projects don’t contribute to meeting Fairfield’s affordable housing needs. Funds in the Housing Trust Fund can not be transferred to cover other line items in the Town’s Operating Budget; they must be used to promote affordable housing in Fairfield. Before the vote, the trust fund was more than $1 million.

Is this project bad for the environment?
This project has been through many changes to address the concerns raised by the Inland Wetlands Committee. The developers worked very closely with the town in a collaborative process to make changes to the design so it would not adversely affect the parcel’s wetlands.

Will it be an eyesore?
The roof line of the buildings will only be 18 inches taller than any newly built houses on the street. The historic Judd homestead building will be preserved and be used as a community center for residents and office space for staff.

Who is developing this project?
The Fairfield Housing Corporation, a non-profit developer under the Fairfield Housing Authority.

What impact will this project have on the Town’s 8-30G moratorium progress?
We need approximately 191 more housing unit equivalent (HUE) points to achieve our next moratorium. Once completed, the High Street Project would contribute 81 HUE points, nearly 42% of the remaining total that is needed. Further delaying construction of this approved project would put the Town at risk of not achieving our second moratorium which would enable developers to once again bypass our local zoning regulations. Obtaining our next moratorium remains a top priority.