Local Legislative Delegation Announces Affordable Housing Hearing

From the Office of State Sen. Tony Hwang:

HARTFORD – The Easton legislative delegation, which includes state Senator Tony Hwang (R-28) and state Rep. John Shaban (R-135), are pleased to announce that the General Assembly’s Housing Committee has agreed to hold a public hearing in New Haven on the state’s affordable housing statute (8-30g).

More than 30 proposed bills related to 8-30g have been submitted this year from lawmakers across the state to the Housing Committee. Those proposals will be heard at the public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 5, with testimonial sign ups at 5 p.m. at the Board of Alders Chambers in New Haven, located on the second floor, at 165 Church St.

While the 1990 law has positive intentions, 8-30g has been used by developers to bypass local zoning laws and, in the process, created serious concerns for neighborhoods in Easton and other towns and cities throughout Connecticut.

“For too long this statute has been used as a weapon that is destroying the character of our neighborhoods and undermining local zoning regulations,” said Senator Hwang, who is the ranking Senate Republican member on the Housing Committee. “I encourage all interested parties to attend the hearing and have your voice heard.”

Rep. Shaban said, “I am happy to see this bill moving forward and gaining public attention. It is a very important piece of legislation that will give back authority to our towns to make local decisions on planning and development.”

Senator Hwang added, “If we are to enact meaningful and necessary changes to this important state statute we must incorporate all voices and perspectives into the conversation, to arrive at a solution that provides municipalities much-needed control and flexibility while also achieving the goal of increasing our stock of affordable housing.”

Testifying and Submitting Written Testimony

A message from the Clerk of the Housing Committee:

Sign-up for the hearing will begin 5 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chambers. Please submit 35 copies of written testimony to Committee staff by 6 p.m. at 165 Church St. Second Floor, New Haven, CT 06511. Testimony received after the designated time may not be distributed until after the hearing.

Please email written testimony in Word or PDF format to HSGtestimony@cga.ct.gov. Testimony should clearly state testifier name and related Bills.

The Committee requests that testimony be limited to matters related to the items on the agenda. The first hour of the hearing is reserved for Legislators, Constitutional Officers, State Agency Heads and Chief Elected Municipal Officials.

Speakers will be limited to 3 minutes of testimony. The Committee encourages witnesses to submit a written statement and to condense oral testimony to a summary of that statement. Unofficial sign-up sheets have no standing with the Committee. All public hearing testimony, written and spoken, is public information. As such, it will be made available on the CGA website and indexed by internet search engines.