REP. WOOD PUSHES FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING BILL

HARTFORD, CT – State Rep. Terrie Wood (R-Darien and Rowayton) has introduced a bill that would allow for “accessory apartments” to be counted toward the total needed to ultimately qualify for 8-30g. 

The General Assembly’s Housing Committee had a public hearing on the bill on February 17^th. 

In testimony, in support of SB-5240: An Act Concerning the Threshold for Compliance with Affordable Housing, Wood noted that the bill would require accessory apartments to be considered as affordable housing, thereby reducing the threshold of applicability of affordable housing to towns with less than ten per cent of housing that is affordable. 

Rep. Wood said, “I represent a community that is 98% developed and finding the land for the legislated affordable housing is very challenging.  We are also a community that has significant issues with flooding due to the largest amount of impervious surface in Fairfield County.  To build enough affordable housing would increase the impervious surface and contribute to even more issues with flooding.  By qualifying the already existing accessory apartments as potential affordable housing units, we would not have to increase the impervious surface by building new properties.” 

Rep. Wood added, “By allowing accessory apartments to qualify as affordable housing, we would be spreading the housing stock through out the town.  So no one neighborhood would be drastically changed.  The landscape of the town remains relatively unchanged.  This type housing has also more popular with teachers than large apartment type housing.” 

“This bill would allow senior citizens to stay in their homes with the additional rental income. This would lessen the local property tax burden on our senior population, Wood concluded.