A forum on affordable housing among several state House Democratic leaders Monday turned into a discussion of the complex political realities surrounding major housing reform.
Experts link much of the state’s lack of affordable housing to restrictive zoning that makes it difficult to build multifamily developments in most residential areas in Connecticut. are.
Housing advocates say towns have plenty of time to resolve the issue and the state needs to move forward with broader zoning reforms. Opponents of the reforms, on the other hand, argue that such measures would weaken local control. The state’s Democrats are divided on the issue, but many Republicans advocate local control of zoning.
House Majority Leader Jason Rojas (D-Hartford, D-East) and Planning and Development Committee Co-Chairwoman Rep. Eleni Cavros DeGraw (D-Avon) spoke at the Partnership for Strong Communities forum in Hartford on Monday. talked about this issue.
Lawmakers say progress at the state level will be slow and point out some flaws in the incentive-based approach, saying economic arguments for housing reform are more effective than moral arguments in Connecticut’s political environment. He said it could be.
“Ultimately, the biggest challenge we face is the very inertia we exist in,” Rojas says.
Housing has long been a volatile political issue in Connecticut, sparking some of the longest debates and close votes in the past few legislative sessions. The problem has become especially acute in recent years as housing costs soar and more families face losing their homes.
Connecticut lacks tens of thousands of units of affordable housing for the lowest-income renters, and thousands of households spend more than a third of their income on housing.
The country is facing a housing crisis, which has become a focus of the presidential election campaign. The 2008 recession caused a significant drop in housing construction, and the country has not recovered.
The number of construction starts over the past several years has been below what the United States needs to keep pace with population growth.
Connecticut made what Rojas called “painful, incremental” progress in addressing the housing shortage during recent legislative sessions. Over the past few years, other states have advanced more policies than Connecticut, he said.
“We recognize that that is a political reality that we have to deal with,” Rojas said. “I’m not happy about that. I’m not happy about that. But as the majority leader, as the person counting the votes on the bill, given the housing policy here in the state of Connecticut, that’s what we’re going to take.” It is the right way to go.”
Cabros-DeGraw said that for years, the state did not adequately respond to the burgeoning crisis and allowed the problem to grow.
“We’re in this tidal wave right now because we’ve let this go for too long,” Kavros-DeGraw said. He added that the issue is multi-layered and includes a lack of political will and issues with zoning and building permits.
“Everything comes together and we’re in this perfect storm, and the gradual change is really difficult for the people who are advocates, for everyone in this room, because it’s Because you know how bad it is,” she told Housing Advocate on Monday.
The political reality is that the Democratic caucus is divided on what to do. While some legislators like Rojas and Cabros DeGraw have advocated for bigger policy changes, many suburban Democrats, especially those in Fairfield County, have been reluctant to support major reforms. be.
Rojas said passing housing legislation is becoming more complicated because Democrats are gaining seats in districts traditionally represented by Republicans.
“Many of my colleagues have been very public about local control and how sacred it is and how important it is, and we can’t do anything to change that,” he said. “That complicates the politics of how to deal with it in the building and in the chamber.”
Cabros DeGrow, who represented the district as a Republican for several years before being elected in 2020, said he thinks there is more support for housing progress among voters than lawmakers realize. . She added that lawmakers need to choose the issues they intend to fight on.
“I think part of this is educating people and part of it is that as an elected official you have to decide on what hill you’re going to die on,” Cavros-DeGraw said. “And for me, the hill I’m willing to die on is making sure people have a roof over their heads.”
Much of the debate at the state level centers on whether to use incentive-based approaches or mandates to encourage the construction of affordable housing. Rojas said incentive-based approaches slow progress.
Many experts say that even if the state offers incentives to build affordable housing, there will still be towns that won’t participate.
“The incentive route is kind of a 10, 15, 20-year, lifetime solution to a lot of these problems,” Rojas said. “The question then becomes, is there actually the political will to do something more aggressive?”
At the end of the discussion, discussions ranged from the political difficulties of passing a “fair share” approach that allocates towns a set number of units to plan based on local needs, to rent caps and transit-oriented development. However, the audience said: A question about the morality of the issue drew applause from those in attendance.
“The character of many towns in Connecticut that we are asked to respect is based on the residential segregation of my grandparents and parents,” said Ivelis Correa, vice president of Black Lives Matter 860. Do I have to respect the character of the town that was created to keep me out? ”
Historically, zoning has been used to make it difficult for low-income people, especially people of color, to live in certain towns and neighborhoods.
Rojas said housing is one of the civil rights issues of our time, but using a moral approach to promote change doesn’t work politically in Connecticut.
“We can continue and we should continue to morally challenge people on this issue, but unfortunately we’ve reached a point where we don’t know if we can speak out on moral grounds on this issue,” Rojas said. he said. “I think we need to shift the conversation to economics because I think that can really change people and make them think differently about this issue.”
Gov. Ned Lamont supports more affordable housing, especially increased density near train stations and bus stops, arguing that it is primarily a boon to Connecticut’s economy.
Arguments against increased housing development often make reference to a town’s character, meaning the general aesthetics, architecture, and atmosphere of the area. Congress passed a law in 2021 that says the term cannot be used as a legal basis for zoning regulations.
“Should we choose character over safety? Should we choose character over making sure people are housed and fed?” Cavros DeGraw said. “I don’t think so. But again, it brings us back to moral will.”
