CT General Assembly Housing Committee to Take Up Bills Relating to Local Control, Planning & Zoning, and Housing at Feb 18 Hearing

Several bills relating to local control, planning and zoning, and housing are up for hearing Thursday, February 18 beginning at 11:00am in the Housing Committee.

The agenda is here: https://cga.ct.gov/2021/HSGdata/pha/pdf/2021pha00218-R001100HSG-pha.pdf

The public hearing can be livestreamed via YouTube Live. In addition, the public hearing may be recorded and broadcast live on CT-N.com

The bills in bold italics with an asterisk* are currently on the agenda for the hearing.

Statewide property tax, property tax surcharges, and state funding changes

SB 171 creates a “mansion tax” on homes with an assessed value over $300,000, or market value over $430,000.
SB 172 would establish a statewide tax on commercial and residential property to encourage affordable housing as defined by 8-30g. The tax has a “sliding scale” which reflects how far a town is from the required 10%.
SB 808 would property tax surcharge in some municipalities to fund affordable housing.
SB 712 would proportion school building grants to the level of affordable housing in a municipality.
HB 6240 provides 100% PILOT for State Housing Authority properties.*

Local control

Pullbacks on local control

SB 804 is the Desegregate CT platform.*
SB 551 and SB 554 would require towns to permit a greater density of housing within a 1/2 mile of a public transit station than otherwise permitted by the town.
HB 5682 could require allowing duplexes in all single family zones.
HB 6287 would allocate affordable housing needs on a regional basis, set municipal goals, and create and enforce “fair share” plans.
HB 5983 would cap property tax growth to no more than 2% annually.

Support of local control

SB 553 would establish local zoning regulations as a municipal right.

8-30

8-30j enforcement

SB 39 would promote fair housing, add teeth to municipal fair housing plans, and study affordable housing and zoning regulations.
HB 6107 would add a mechanism to address noncompliance with affordable housing (8-30j) plans.

8-30g reform

SB 488 would reduce the additional points toward 8-30g moratoriums awarded under PA 17-170.
HB 5680 would grant housing-unit equivalent points for municipalities that adopt affordable housing plans.
HB 5683 would include naturally-occurring affordable housing in 8-30g calculations.*

Funding and development

HB 5911 would require all state-funded housing to be at least 25% low income.*
HB 5681 would increase school construction funding in municipalities make certain zoning changes and build affordable housing.*
SB 590 would initiate a process to build affordable housing TODs on state-owned rail parking.
SB 49 would create a new workforce housing program in opportunity zones.
HB 6239 would study how government housing funding awards affect racial and economic segregation.*
HB 5480 would provide loans for building reuse, especially related to building, fire, and health codes.

Other

HB 5685 would impose rent control statewide.*
SB 487 would expand housing authority jurisdiction to “certain high or very high opportunity census tract” within 15 miles.
SB 394 would study how to increase housing options so employees can live where they work.
SB 777 would define character to mean “architectural consistency and population density.”

Housing Committee Members

005	Co-Chair	McGee, Brandon L.	http://www.housedems.ct.gov/McGee	D
S06	Co-Chair	Lopes, Rick	http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/lopes	D
118	Vice Chair	Smith, Frank	http://www.housedems.ct.gov/SmithF	D
S03	Vice Chair	Anwar, Saud	http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/anwar	D
068	Ranking Member	Polletta, Joe	http://www.cthousegop.com/Polletta/	R
S34	Ranking Member	Cicarella, Paul	http://ctsenaterepublicans.com/home-cicarella	R
072	Member	Butler, Larry B.	http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Butler	D
071	Member	D Amelio, Anthony J.	http://www.cthousegop.com/DAmelio/	R
041	Member	de la Cruz, Joe	http://www.housedems.ct.gov/delaCruz	D
003	Member	Gonzalez, Minnie	http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Gonzalez	D
049	Member	Johnson, Susan M.	http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Johnson	D
S24	Member	Kushner, Julie	http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/kushner	D
025	Member	Sanchez, Robert	http://www.housedems.ct.gov/Sanchez	D
S10	Member	Winfield, Gary A.	http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/Winfield	D
099	Member	Zullo, Joseph H.	http://www.cthousegop.com/zullo/	R