Stonington Gets $20,000 For Incentive Housing Zone Project

The state has awarded $20,000 in grant funding to the Town of Stonington to study the option of an affordable housing zone directed to youth and people in the workforce.

While this concept is just in its initial phase, the ultimate goal will be whether Stonington — and several other towns that won this grant funding — will zone off a section of town that allows for the construction more affordable housing. 

“Our state’s ability to attract young workers, families and businesses that provide jobs and increased revenue is dependent on the availability of various types of housing opportunities,” said Gov. Dannel Malloy in a news release. “Incentive housing zones are an important tool that communities can use to promote high-quality workforce housing, revitalize vacant or underutilized properties, increase pedestrian activity, support businesses, and make better use of existing public infrastructure.”

Under state guidelines, at least 20 percent of the housing in an incentive zone must be affordable to households earning no more than 80 percent of the area's median income, which is $72,445 in Stonington.

The state said a unit is considered affordable if the rent is no more than 30 percent of a household’s annual income.

While the grant would be spent entirely on consulting services, according to officials, one of the main objectives of the grant is to encourage community consensus for the project. 

The other towns to win this grant funding are as follows: Brookfield, Burlington, Canton, Durham, Fairfield, Haddam, Milford, North Stonington, and Ridgefield.

“I am encouraged by the level of interest by municipalities that want to create mixed-use and mixed-income housing for their residents,” said Department of Housing Commissioner Evonne M. Klein.  “This predevelopment financing is an important first step toward creating much-needed workforce housing in their communities.”