Submitted by Republican BET Candidates for Board of Estimate and Taxation Nisha Arora, Harry Fisher, Leslie Tarkington, Karen Fassuliotis, Lucia Jansen and David Alfano
Republican BET members are committed to STOPPING THE HIGH-RISES IN GREENWICH. We must stop 8-30g and support a plan that would make Greenwich eligible for a moratorium.
What is the menace of 8-30g? State law 8-30g allows builders to bypass local zoning and build high rises in neighborhoods if they rent a small percentage of the units in that building at below market rates. Builders are using this law to build oversize developments in Greenwich neighborhoods with total disregard for any local rules and ordinances. Under this law, even if one lived in a 2-acre single family zoning, a builder could construct a 50-unit apartment complex next door. This is the menace of 8-30g.
We need affordable housing, but not through 8-30g: Our state and our town needs more affordable housing. Teachers, policemen, firemen, who work here and protect our town should be able to live in our town. But affordable housing still needs to conform to our local laws.
Greenwich Communities is our local public housing agency (PHA) which is authorized by the federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and leases over 1200 housing units at affordable market rates in Greenwich to eligible tenants. Greenwich Communities has several anticipated projects to increase affordable housing in Greenwich. Unlike some of the proposed high-rise projects, 100% of housing built/repurposed by Greenwich Communities counts as affordable.
Applying for a moratorium (put 8-30g on hold): Under existing statute, towns can apply to the state Department of Housing for a moratorium if they put forward a plan to increase affordable housing in the next four years by 2%. BET Republicans plan to support Greenwich Communities to develop a plan in conjunction with state Department of Housing (DOH) that would make Greenwich eligible for a moratorium. This would put a pause to 8-30g, hopefully one that was permanent, and ensure there are no high-rises built in our neighborhoods.
Note: Deadline to submit LTEs for candidates in the Greenwich municipal election on Nov 7, 2023 was Oct 30 at 12:00 noon.