Tag Archives: Connecticut General Assembly

State Zoning Bill Takes Effect Thursday

Posted on December 30, 2025 | 13 comments

When Governor Lamont vetoed HB 5002 in June — wide-ranging housing legislation that would have dramatically changed the ability of local governments to impose zoning restrictions — many Westporters breathed sighs of relief.

But state lawmakers soon passed an amended version. HB 8002 takes effect January 1.

“It also expands the number of fair rent commissions — a government body that can hear complaints about rent increases and make decisions on whether to change that rental increase number — and bans ‘hostile architecture,’ or the use of things like armrests in the middle of benches or spikes to make it harder for people experiencing homelessness to lie down.”

Click here for the full bill.

Lamont said, “This bill tells mayors and first selectmen, ‘What do you want your town to look like in five or 10 years? Start planning accordingly. Where do you want that housing to go? Are you going to zone accordingly? What else do you need? We want to be your partner.'”

In 2024, Governor Lamont spoke at the dedication of 122 Wilton Road. All 19 units are considered affordable housing, under state regulations. (Photo/Dan Woog)

“06880” asked 1st Selectman Kevin Christie about 8002’s effect here. He says, “it does take effect January 1. But it does not trigger immediate zoning changes or new development in Westport.

“The intent of the law is to keep towns in control by encouraging proactive planning and execution. For Westport, that means building upon our existing affordable housing plans to develop a Housing Growth Plan, informed by community input and aligned with our long-term goals and Plan of Conservation and Development.

“We expect to focus on creating our own plan rather than defaulting to a regional approach, while working with the state and WestCOG as resources to support a solution that works for Westport.

“Some technical provisions of the law take effect later, including zoning-related updates beginning in July 2026, which will require thoughtful local review and public process.

Kevin Christie

“In addition to being part of the solution to the housing crisis and expanding affordable opportunities in Westport for our workforce, young families, and seniors, HB 8002 provides incentives for towns that plan and execute responsibly, including protections from adversarial 8-30g outcomes, access to state planning and technical assistance, and potential financial benefits tied to housing, infrastructure, and school construction.”

We also spoke to Westport Planning & Zoning chair Paul Lebowitz. He says it “creates a very complicated situation, with both near- and long-term aspects.

“Town attorney Ira Bloom is going through the law line by line, and will advise the commission on what steps we will have to take. This should come some time in January.

“In addition, Francis Pickering at the Western Connecticut Council of Governments is engaged in helping municipalities interpret and integrate the bill into our local regulations.”

In the short term, Lebowitz says, we must deal with the removal of any parking standard for projects less than 16 residential units. He notes, “While we hope developers would realize the need for onsite parking for their residents, they don’t have to offer any. Where their residents or tenants would park is of course the issue.”

Traffic and a parking garage were controversial elements of the Hamlet at Saugatuck plan. Now, a developer could build 8-30g affordable housing there — with no parking provisions at all.

In addition, owners of commercial properties can now try to convert to residential without the P&Z’s oversight.

“While Westport has approved such conversions in the past, it was always weighed by the commission as to whether there was a benefit to the town,” Lebowitz says. Under the new bill, any benefit to the town is no longer a consideration.

The bill also requires towns like Westport to either individually or regionally via their COGs (Councils of Government) create Housing Growth Plans, as well as an Affordable Housing Goal. Westport’s (and WestCOG’s) would be due in June of 2029.

P&Z chair Paul Lebowitz. (Photo/Dan Woog)

“This might seem like its far off,” Lebowitz says. “But with our need to create a new Plan of Conservation and Development, it will need to be integrated this year to help guide future developments.

He adds, “we have many smart minds working on this — first to interpret it for Westport, then to integrate it into our statutes.”

Town attorney Bloom says, “my legal team and I have been reviewing HB 8002 since Governor Lamont signed it. We will work with the P&Z, and Planning & Zoning director Michelle Perillie in the weeks ahead.

“HB 8002 replaced HB 5002, vetoed by Governor Lamont, but in my view only offers small improvements. The new law is intended to expand housing opportunities, but at the expense of local control.

“For instance, a required housing needs assessment must be completed, and it is possible that it will be done with the assistance of the regional Council of Government (COG).

Town attorney Ira Bloom

“Local parking minimums for certain residential developments are no longer allowed. Local regulations must allow for smaller residential units in certain areas by a non-discretionary review.

“There are dates and details associated with all of this — and more — in the new law, so there is a lot to digest.

“Advocates say it will enhance badly needed housing. Opponents object to the loss of local control. We will have ample time to discuss and have spirited debate on this in 2026.”

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Several other bills take effect on Thursday too. They include:

Condominiums can no longer prohibit or “unreasonably restrict” owners of single-family detached units from putting solar panels on their roofs. Condo associations can opt out, if at least 75% of their board of directors vote to do so by January 1, 2028.

In addition, the state’s minimum wage will rise by 59 cents, from $16.35 per hour to $16.94.

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Posted in Local politics, Real estate

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[OPINION] New State Zoning Proposal Could Bring Drastic Changes To Westport

Posted on May 22, 2025 | 45 comments

Danielle Dobin is a current member of Westport’s Board of Finance, and the previous chair of the Planning & Zoning Commission. She submitted this opinion as a private citizen, and not on behalf of any board or commission.

Westporters don’t always see eye to eye — and that’s a good thing.

We are a community that cares deeply, thinks independently, and engages actively with each other and our local officials. Over the past few weeks we’ve seen spirited conversations around zoning decisions like the proposed Hamlet development, and debates relating to our schools, including the Board of Education soccer coach appeal and the possible implementation of a bell-to-bell cell phone ban at Staples.

But occasionally an issue comes along that is so consequential, so far-reaching, that it deserves our collective attention — regardless of where we stand on any particular local issue. Right now, that issue is House Bill 5002.

Just introduced in the state legislature, this massive omnibus “aircraft carrier” bill consolidates numerous housing and zoning proposals into a single piece of legislation — one that could be voted on as early as tonight or tomorrow.

Among its most impactful provisions:

  • Density Explosion: Every single commercially zoned lot in Westport (400+ parcels) in every single neighborhood in town will be automatically re-zoned to allow the development of up to 9 units of “middle housing” (townhouses, cottage clusters, etc.) without ANY public hearing, and with no off-street parking required.
  • Municipal liability for legal fees: Towns like Westport would be forced, at the court’s discretion, to pay developers’ legal fees when defending against 8-30g affordable housing lawsuits — even when we are trying to enforce reasonable land use protections.
  • Off-Street Parking: This bill eliminates ALL off-street parking requirements for buildings under 24 units, and only allows a P&Z to require off-street parking for larger developments based on a developer’s own parking assessment.
  • As-of-right office-to-residential conversions: This bill will allow the conversion of any office building in any zone to be turned into multifamily housing. The town will be prohibited from re-assessing the newly created multifamily or higher taxes for 3 years.
  • Fair Share housing mandates: Westport would be required to zone for 1,495–2,461 affordable and deeply affordable housing units. If those units are built as part of developments with only 20% affordability — as is typical — this would mean up to 12,305 new housing units, or we both lose infrastructure funding, and we’ll face a tougher battle seeking our next moratorium from 8-30g.
  • Work-Live-Ride transit district incentives: Towns that don’t preemptively create designated transit districts may lose access to critical infrastructure grants if they don’t allow high-density, as-of-right multifamily development with no off-street parking, especially where single family home zoning exists (Stony Point, Burritt’s Landing) near transit hubs like the Saugatuck station.
  • Loss of state infrastructure funding: Westport will have limited access to essential grants — such as STEAP, Main Street, and Town Aid Road – which will be tied to compliance with state-mandated zoning changes required by Fair Share and Work-Live-Ride.

What does this mean for Westport? It means a potential tidal wave of development with no parking. It means the erosion of local decision-making. And it means the financial burden of litigation costs that towns will be forced to bear.

Westport relies on state Town Aid Road grants for a significant portion of our annual paving projects. Westport utilizes STEAP grants, such as the $1 million grant we are seeking for the Cross Highway culvert replacement, to fund critical infrastructure projects.

Whether you support mixed-use development or housing only in Saugatuck; if you advocate for preserving Westport exactly as it looks today or with changes; whether you favor or oppose the closing of Church Lane to vehicular traffic; whatever your thoughts on the high school cellphone ban, every Westporter should be concerned about the loss of local control and the scope of mandates being imposed without adequate consideration of infrastructure, schools, traffic, or environmental impact.

This passage of this bill will immediately transform our zoning to allow for THOUSANDS of new units (via the rezoned commercial lots and office conversions), with little to no parking for the new residents.

This is a moment for Westporters to stand together.

I urge you to contact our state delegation today and share your perspective — before it’s too late:

  • State Senator Ceci Maher – ceci.maher@cga.ct.gov
  • State Rep. Jonathan Steinberg – jonathan.steinberg@cga.ct.gov
  • State Rep. Dominique Johnson – dominique.johnson@cga.ct.gov

We may not always agree — but we all deserve a voice in decisions that will shape the future of our town.

Read the full House Bill 5002 here.

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Posted in Local politics, Politics

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Remembering Lynda Bluestein

Posted on January 4, 2024 | 18 comments

Lynda Bluestein died this morning, in Vermont.

The longtime active member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport won a lawsuit last year that allowed her — despite being a non-resident — to use the state’s medical aid in dying statute.

Lynda suffered from ovarian and fallopian tube cancer. Her condition worsened this week. Yesterday, her husband Paul drove her to a hospice in Vermont, where she had made arrangements for her death.

Lynda’s legacy will live on in many ways. She was a dedicated voice against gun violence. She has advocated for a Connecticut medical aid in dying law.

Lynda Bluestein yesterday, before traveling to Vermont. (Photo courtesy of News12 Connecticut)

Last year she helped place wind phones — disconnected telephones that allow loved ones and friends to “call” people who have died — throughout the area.

A ceremony at the Westport Library — the first such indoor space for a wind phone in the world — drew dozens of friends and admirers.

Here is the “06880” report of that event:

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Lynda Shannon Bluestein’s fight against fallopian tube cancer — and her battle to end her life on her own terms — has inspired many people.

Earlier this year, the longtime member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Westport reached a settlement with the state of Vermont. She will be the first non-resident to take advantage of a law that allows people with terminal illnesses to end their own lives.

At 76, she is now in hospice care. Time is short. But Lynda continues to inspire friends and strangers, in many ways.

And — as she has done for decades — she continues to give back to Westport.

In a brief ceremony this Wednesday (December 13, 10 a.m.), the Westport Library will accept Lynda’s donation of 2 wind phones.

One will be housed in the Children’s Library. The other will be available through the Library of Things.

Lynda Bluestein’s wind phone at the Library of Things …

Wind phones are physical objects, but also very spiritual. Originally from Japan, they are disconnected phones — a way to stay connected to loved ones who have died.

Garden designer Itaru Sasaki created the first wind phone in 2010, to help cope with his cousin’s death. “Because my thoughts could not be relayed over a regular phone line, I wanted them to be carried on the wind,” he explained.

It was opened to the public the following year, after an earthquake and tsunami killed over 15,000 people. It has received over 30,000 visitors.

Since then, wind phones have been created in several US states, from parks to front lawns.

Lynda donated a wind phone in Ridgefield. Its plaque says:

This phone will never ring. It is connected by love to nowhere and everywhere. It is for those who have an empty place in the heart left by a loved one. Say hello, say goodbye. Talk of the past, the present, the future. The wind phone will carry your message.

Though wind phones are often located in nature, those donated by Lynda and her family to the Library are different: Both will be available to all to use, and check out.

The first ones to be placed in a library, they will be available early next year.

… and in the Children’s Library.

Lynda chose the Westport Library because “it feels like the heart of a community my husband and I have been part of for 30 years. When we moved to Connecticut from California, we gravitated here.

“But mostly, I was interested in doing something that has never been tried before anywhere in the world: a wind phone to check out from the Library.”

The solitude and accessibility of the library setting were also draws.

“So many wind phones in the US are in parks or on hiking trails in remote and often inaccessible areas,” she says.

“When people lose someone they love and have loved for decades, it feels strange to go out alone — except to a library, where that feels completely normal.”

The Library’s wind phones will be accompanied by recommended reading for both children and adults, plus a dedicated resource guide.

“It’s important that these wind phones be available and accessible to the community,” says Agata Slattery, the Library’s development director who worked with Lynda on the donation.

“We want these to be a source of comfort and solace, and of course a lasting testament to Lynda’s generosity and bravery.”

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In February 2022, Lynda wrote an opinion piece in CT Mirror, urging Connecticut’s General Assembly to approve a Medical Aid in Dying law. She said:

My medical records declare that I am a cancer survivor – twice over no less. I got through treatment for breast cancer and malignant melanoma feeling confident and grateful. But in March 2021, I was diagnosed with late-stage Fallopian tube cancer. It is very rare. It is also the most lethal type of gynecologic cancer.

With my diagnosis has come a resolve to put in place a plan for living what I now think of as my ‘short shelf life.’

I am using what time I have left to do the things I’ve always wanted to do—and one of them is to advocate for medical aid in dying, aka MAID. I simply want the right to have a say in the timing and manner of my death when I reach the point where my disease or the pain and suffering it causes robs me of the quality of life that is essential to me.

I have witnessed bad deaths – my mom’s and my dad’s. My mother, who also had cancer, died in my arms, in a too-large hospital bed, suffering and frightened. Five years after mom passed, I sat at the bedside of my father as he gasped for air and went in and out of consciousness. Neither of my parents wanted their precious final hours to turn out the way they did. I don’t want that for me either.

It has taken me getting sick to realize that having agency over the circumstances surrounding my own death is going to require me to get busy. Really busy, because I live in Connecticut, a state whose lawmakers have turned their backs on this issue for two decades and I am running out of time.

Lynda Bluestein and her husband Paul. (Photo courtesy of NBC Connecticut)

Without passage of enabling legislation, I will have two choices when my life is near its end – stay in Connecticut and have no say in my own dying, or pack my bags and head to Vermont, establish residency, find new doctors, and arrange for hospice care and then complete the paperwork required to invoke Act 39, Vermont’s medical aid in dying law.

Recently, on February 1, my state representative and co-chair of the Judiciary Committee, Steve Stafstrom, held a 2022 Legislative Session Preview on ZOOM. I, of course, registered to attend since I know that for the 27th consecutive year there will be another attempt at getting a Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) bill to the floor of the Connecticut General Assembly for a vote.

One constituent ahead of me asked about this MAID bill. Steve responded by saying that yes, the bill would again be raised in the Public Health Committee. I then added a comment in the ZOOM chat regarding how the 2021 version of this bill had finally gotten out of the Public Health Committee for the first time in 26 years, but when it was sent to the Judiciary Committee that Steve co-chairs, it died, full stop.

Steve read my comment, then launched into an argument that opponents of medical aid in dying legislation use as a scare tactic that has no basis in fact – words to the effect that ‘peoples’ life insurance policies could be put in jeopardy if they die by suicide.’.

This is just a politically convenient way of “having concerns” about the proposed legislation which most people in Connecticut support. The truth is not complicated.

Fact 1: If there is a clear case of MAID (medical assistance in dying) where both health preconditions (terminal disease/palliative condition) AND legal requirements are met, life insurance companies will pay claims in full – it does not matter how long the policy was in place.

Fact 2: If a suicide (by any method or means) happens more than two years after getting a life insurance policy, the life insurance policy will pay out death benefit to the policy’s beneficiaries. State Representative Steve Stafstrom is either ill-informed about standard life insurance exclusionary clauses or is passing along information he knows to be inaccurate.

Representative Stafstrom is not only my state rep, but he’s also a neighbor. He has acknowledged his Catholic faith as part of his reluctance to support MAID legislation in Connecticut. But a lot of his constituents, me included, don’t share those concerns about end-of-life decision making.

I want the same choices that adults in 10 states and Washington, D.C. – 20% of the U.S. population – have now. This is about my life and my death — not his. Shouldn’t this also be my choice?

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Posted in Politics, religion

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[OPINION] Legislative Watch III: “Live Work Ride” Act Addresses Transit Area

Posted on March 12, 2023 | 5 comments

As chair of Westport’s Planning & Zoning Commission, Danielle Dobin keeps an eye on Connecticut’s state legislature.

There’s a lot going on in Hartford. Here — writing as a private citizen — is what Danielle sees and hears: 

HB 6890 — “Live Work Ride: An Act Concerning Qualifying Transit-Oriented Communities” — proposes withholding, withdrawing, and even potentially clawing back discretionary state infrastructure funding from communities that fail to adopt regulations permitting greater density, with limited parking and a prescribed affordability component, around transit.

In simplest terms, for Westport to continue to receive discretionary state infrastructure funding (for example, millions of dollars for sidewalks and bridge replacement), our town would be required to adopt a “reasonably sized” 20-unit/acre zoning transit-oriented district that meets the approval of a newly appointed State Responsible Growth Coordinator.

The “Live Work Ride” bill would impact Saugatuck, near the train station. (Drone photo/Patrick Sikes)

My take: What’s interesting is that Westport already has 4 non-residential zoning districts surrounding the Saugatuck train station permitting multi-family across 30.92 acres at 18 units/acre, with a minimum of 20% affordability component.

The newly adopted GBD/Saugatuck Marina zone directly adjacent to the train has an even greater 25% affordability component for off-site affordable units within ¼ mile of the train station.

Applying the Live-Work-Ride requirement of 20 units/acre in Westport would result in an increase of only 63 units permitted over the entire district of 30+ acres. This analysis does not include the Summit Saugatuck/Hiawatha parcels, which are actually zoned at an even far greater density.

Two issues stand out locally:

Special Permit Oversight. Westport must retain our special permit review process which provides critical oversight of each proposed development, given the massive traffic issues in this area and environmental issues related to developing adjacent to the river and in the flood zone.

Our town must be permitted to require that developers – who will sell or rent the vast majority of units for sky-high luxury pricing – provide adequate parking for residents, especially those in affordable units who can’t afford to “buy” spaces in private lots. Residents of multi-family units deserve the same consideration regarding parking as residents in single family homes.

People in most Connecticut towns, including Westport, require cars to get to work, preschool, after-school activities, medical appointments and food shopping.

A staffer for a group advocating for the adoption of this legislation spoke at a recent subcommittee meeting, and suggested students could walk to and from the train station area to school. That would take an hour and a half to our middle school or high school.

Franklin Street already has some of the most affordable housing in Westport — and limited parking.

Leaving the subjective approval of each transit district to an as-to-be-appointed “coordinator,” the identity of whom will change over time, is deeply problematic.

Any statewide proposal must make clear that towns may continue to require special permits, that parking can be reasonably required given real world conditions, that there be a minimum reasonable size (for example, 10 acres) for the transit-district, and that communities that have already zoned for multi-family with a healthy affordable component be rewarded, not penalized.

Westport has added, and continues to add, hundreds of multi-family units. It is absurd to suggest that the state should withdraw or claw back funding for sidewalks, bridges and other infrastructure funding that encourage residents in multi-family and single-family homes to walk and bike to school and work.

A pro-transit legislature should not adopt legislation making it harder for people to go green. There is also no imaginable justification to limit funding for brownfield cleanup in Westport — certainly not next to a tidal river flowing to Long Island Sound.

Our ecosystems are interconnected, and the remediation of toxic pollutants should be prioritized statewide.

Readers should note that as currently drafted, the bill’s language is contradictory, with one section (12[b]) stating that non-compliant towns will simply receive less priority for transportation and brownfield remediation funding, but a different section (12[f]) stating that a municipality will be required to return any discretionary infrastructure funding unless that municipality enacts qualifying zoning reforms.

I urge all residents to share their thoughts with the Legislature. Of all the proposals put forth this legislative session, this seems most likely to be adopted, as Governor Lamont provided for implementation funding in his proposed budget.

(To view the full bill, click here. For background information, click here. To testify in person or remotely at a March 15 hearing on the bill, click here. To submit written testimony, click here.)

(“06880” roams to Hartford — when it affects Westport. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)

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Posted in Politics, Real estate, Saugatuck, Transportation

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Legislative Alert: New Bill Would Impact Beach Fees

Posted on February 16, 2023 | 28 comments

Connecticut’s 2023 legislative session has begun. Several proposed bills would impact Westport.

At the committee level — where they are now — residents can comment in person at hearings, or via Zoom.

However, once a bill is voted out of committee, only written testimony is permitted.

Danielle Dobin wants to make sure Westporters know about one proposed bill in particular. She chairs our Planning & Zoning Commission. But — writing as a private citizen — she says:

Tomorrow (Friday, February 17), the Planning & Development Committee will discuss HB 6650: “An Act Concerning Public Access to Coastal Resources.”

In a nutshell, this proposal would limit the fees a municipality can charge for town-owned beach parking to not more than twice the fees charged to residents. Click here for the full text of the bill.

Last summer in Westport, residents were charged $50 for a seasonal beach pass; non-residents paid $775 (or $375, for Westonites). The Parks & Recreation Commission met last night, to discuss lowering the out-of-town, non-Weston fee to $545.

If the state legislature bill is adopted, the fee for non-residents would be capped at $100 for the season — or not more than two times whatever residents pay, if Westport changes that fee.

Beach stickers are cheaper for Westporters than non-residents. (Photo/Mark Marcus)

If the bill is adopted by the legislature, there are obvious implications regarding both revenue and parking access for residents.

At the same time, our beaches will be more accessible to people who can’t afford to park there now.

As a state, how do we strike the right balance between ensuring access for residents whose tax dollars pay for significant investment to maintain and improve our coastal resources, while ensuring that people who lack the resources for a $775 annual pass or costly day pass can still go to the beach with their families?

While in Westport, the train station provides free parking that’s walkable to Compo on the weekend, many other towns in the state lack this infrastructure.

Please consider sharing your thoughts with the legislature. But do so quickly. You must register to testify by 3 p.m. today (Thursday, February 16) in order to provide verbal testimony either via zoom or in-person. Submitting written testimony as soon as possible is also recommended.

Click here for a guide to signing up to testify. Click here for the “Bulletin” referred to in the link above; then scroll down to view the Planning & Development Committee meeting on Friday, February 17 in order to register.

(Keeping up with state politics is no day at the beach. Please click here to help “06880” continue our work.)

Lots may fill more quickly with lower daily fees. (Photo/Matt Murray)

 

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Posted in Beach, Politics

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Reapportionment Alters Westport’s State Representation

Posted on November 28, 2021 | 2 comments

Connecticut’s General Assembly will have a different look after the next election.

Redistricting takes place every 10 years, based on census data and population shifts.

Unlike many states, Connecticut’s reapportionment is done by a panel of 2 Democrats and 2 Republicans. If they can’t agree, a 5th objective member is added. This year, that was unneeded.

Current plans — which will be finalized soon — change district lines for the 2 state senators and 2 representatives who now serve parts of Westport.

Senator Will Haskell’s 26th District currently runs far north. He’ll lose Bethel, but gain a slice of Stamford, connected by a bit of Darien and New Canaan.

The borders of State Representative Jonathan Steinberg’s 136th District have shifted slightly, though it continues to include only Westport. He’s lost some voters in the western part of town. His district still runs all the way to the Fairfield town line.

State Representative Stephanie Thomas’ Norwalk-based 143rd District has changed significantly. She gained some additional voters in Westport and a large number of new voters in Norwalk. They replace Wilton, which has become an entirely new district.

State Senator Tony Hwang’s 28th District has been pushed north, into Bethel. He’ll lose the Greens Farms section of Westport he now represents.

But, Hwang says, “I’ve worked with Jim Marpe, Jen Tooker and Andrea Moore, on projects like Coleytown Middle School and bridge repairs. I’ll always advocate for Westport. Please give my thanks to the terrific people of Westport I’ve been able to represent.”

(For more in-depth information on redistricting, click here, here, here and here. Hat tip: Peter Gold.)

 

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Westport Votes Blue; 2 Democrats Win

Posted on November 7, 2018 | 19 comments

Westport backed all 4 Democratic candidates in yesterday’s state Senate and House races. That helped deliver 2 of those districts to the Democratic Party.

Will Haskell

In a race that drew statewide — even national — attention, 22-year-old Staples High School graduate Will Haskell thrashed longtime incumbent Toni Boucher, for the State Senate 26th district seat.

Haskell’s 64-36% winning margin — against a politician who was in office as long as he’d been alive — was helped by a strong base of active volunteers. The recent Georgetown University graduate galvanized many young voters, and women.

Staples grad Jonathan Steinberg returns to Hartford, representing House district 136. He beat back a challenge from Republican Greg Kraut, a newcomer to politics and a 2-year Westporter. The unofficial margin was 61-39%.

In races that involved small portions of Westport, Republican incumbents Tony Hwang (State Senate district 28) and Gail Lavielle (State House district 143) retained their seats. However, both lost Westport to their Democratic challengers, Michelle Lapine McCabe and Stephanie Thomas, respectively.

 

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Posted in Local politics, People, Politics, Staples HS

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LWV Wants Your Candidate Debate Questions

Posted on October 1, 2018 | 5 comments

With Connecticut teetering on the brink of financial disaster — and education, housing, transportation and infrastructure issues clamoring for attention too — the stakes are high in next month’s election.

So besides sponsoring their usual candidates’ debate, Westport’s League of Women Voters is taking one more step to ensure citizen involvement.

The October 29 event (7 p.m., Town Hall auditorium) will include questions from community members — and they can be emailed ahead of time.

To ask State Senate candidates Toni Boucher, Will Haskell, Tony Hwang and Michelle McCabe, and House hopefuls Gail Lavielle, Stephanie Thomas, Greg Kraut and Jonathan Steinberg anything, email LWVWestportct.org.

Screeners — 1 Republican, 1 Democrat and 1 unaffiliated League member — will ensure that all questions are nonpartisan.

Can’t be there? The debate will be televised live on Cablevision Channel 79 and Frontier channel 90, and posted thereafter on the town website.

Whether you ask questions, attend the debate or miss it complete, don’t forget to vote! Election Day is November 6.

(The League of Women Voters is co-sponsoring this debate, with the Westport PTA Council.)

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Posted in Organizations, Politics

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8-30g Relief? Not So Fast.

Posted on August 2, 2017 | 12 comments

It seemed like welcome news last month, when the General Assembly overrode Governor Malloy’s veto of a bill that would loosen restrictions of 8-30g. Part of the state’s affordable housing standards, 8-30g incentivizes municipalities to make 10 percent of their housing stock “affordable.”

Officials in Westport — which has more affordable housing than counts under narrow 8-30g regulations — thought the override meant they’d qualify for a moratorium.

But the devil may be in the details.

According to Partnership for Strong Communities — a statewide policy and advocacy organization “dedicated to ending homelessness, expanding the creation of affordable housing, and building strong communities in Connecticut” — Westport will not qualify for “eligibility relief.”

Hales Court is affordable Westport housing — though it was built before 8-30g regulations came in effect in 1990, and does not count for “points.”

The reasons are complex. The organization says:

Through September 30, 2022 a town is eligible for a moratorium from the provisions of Section 8-30g if it shows that it has added affordable housing units equal to the greater of 2 percent of the housing stock, or 50 Housing Unit Equivalent (HUE) points. Previously, the minimum number of HUE points required was 75. This change makes it easier for the state’s 64 smallest towns to achieve a moratorium.

But Westport is not among those “smallest towns.”

For towns with 20,000 or more housing units, the requirements for achieving a 2nd and subsequent moratorium have been eased by reducing the number of HUE points needed from 2% of a town’s housing units to 1.5%. The term of a 2nd or subsequent moratorium is extended from 4 to 5 years for 6 towns: Fairfield, Greenwich, Hamden, Milford, Stratford and West Hartford.

In other words — according to PSC — Westport is not helped by having 10,000 housing units less than the 20,000.

Canal Park offers affordable housing for seniors, near downtown. It too was built before 1990.

The organization continues:

Through September 30, 2022, restricted family units with at least 3 bedrooms, or in an Incentive Housing Zone (IHZ), receive a 1/4-point bonus. Restricted elderly units receive a 1/2-point bonus, if at least 60% of the restricted units counted toward the moratorium are family units.

However, no 3-bedroom units have been offered in any 8-30g in Westport.

Complex? Absolutely.

What comes next? Perhaps more “affordable housing” proposals.

Stay tuned.

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Posted in Economy, Politics, Real estate

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Stephens, Steinberg Snipe Over Affordable Housing

Posted on July 25, 2017 | 21 comments

Recently, the Connecticut General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to loosen the restrictions of 8-30g — the state’s affordable housing standards, which incentivize municipalities to make 10 percent of their housing stock be “affordable.”

(Westport has a long history with 8-30g. Some affordable housing units here were built before the 1990 date on which state standards are based. Developers have proposed large buildings on small lots, marking a few units as “affordable.” Some observers have called those proposals “blackmail.” Westport’s Planning & Zoning Commission has denied several such proposals already. They approved one, on Post Road East.)

A proposed 4-story rental property at 1177 Post Road East.

The vote — 30-6 in the Senate, 116-33 in the House — makes it easier for towns and cities to reach “moratoriums,” and in some cases increases those moratoriums beyond the previous 4 years. (For an in-depth analysis of the measure from CTMirror, via WestportNow, click here.)

Governor Dannel Malloy vetoed the bill. The Senate overrode the veto by the closest 2/3 margin possible — 24-12. The House overrode it 101-47.

Local reaction was swift.

Westport Representative Jonathan Steinberg said: “I’m going to tell people in my town, ‘Put up or shut up.’ Build the units. Get to the moratorium. Stay on that path.”

That infuriated P&Z member Chip Stephens.

He emailed an “open letter” to Steinberg:

We got your message.

How dare you grandstand and throw your fellow town officials and residents under the bus last night:

“Steinberg said he plans to take an unwavering message to his town’s leaders — act.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m going to tell people in my town, ‘Put up or shut up. Build the units. Get to the moratorium. Stay on that path,’” Steinberg said. Only after they have been given that chance, he said, can leaders “talk about whether or not 8-30g is working.””

I suggest you consider that your town officials have worked long and hard on affordable housing, both 8-30g qualifying, and more importantly quality affordable housing as Hales Court, Sasco Creek, Canal Park and other IHZ and multifamily components.

Canal Park offers affordable housing for seniors, near downtown. Because it was built before 1990, it does not count for points under 8-30g standards.

In passing the newest 8-30g complex on Post Road East we will have our first moratorium application ready as soon as the developer completes the project and gets his CO.

Next time you crawl up on that stump and blow hot air directed at your town, think hard before letting your common sense filter down hurling inflammatory and demeaning comments at Westport. We hear and we will remember.

Steinberg fired back:

I have fought for 7 years to amend 8-30g to make it easier for Westport to achieve a moratorium, while you have done very little.

How dare you lecture me on this statute when all I stated that it’s now on towns to take advantage of this new opportunity to get to a moratorium and avoid developer predation.

You have real gall calling me out, given your abject failure as a Commissioner representing Westport’s interests.

I’m responsible for giving you a tool to protect our town. Shut up and get it done.

Like the 8-30 g/affordable housing debate, this political dialogue will continue.

State Representative Jonathan Steinberg (left) and Westport Planning & Zoning commissioner Chip Stephens.

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