Share
GREENWICH — Insisting that the state’s affordable housing statute is the town’s “biggest single threat,” officials are looking to the local housing authority to ward off unwanted developers.
Ahead of his reelection in November, Republican First Selectman Fred Camillo said the town must demonstrate to state lawmakers that effective affordable housing solutions are best developed locally to keep state mandates at bay. At Thursday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, Camillo said that Greenwich Communities, the town’s housing authority, is actively pursuing this goal.
According to statute 8-30g, developers can largely bypass local zoning laws in municipalities where less than 10% of the housing stock is considered affordable by state guidelines. Currently, 5.8% of Greenwich’s housing is considered affordable.
Greenwich Communities Chair and former Republican Town Committee member Sam Romeo told the selectmen that without the authority’s help, developers would continue using the state law to construct large, invasive developments in residential neighborhoods.
“The biggest single threat to Greenwich right now is 8-30g,” Romeo said. “I’m going to bed at night in Greenwich. I don’t want to wake up in Manhattan.”
Other than achieving 10% affordability, a municipality can apply for a moratorium — which blocks most 8-30g proposals for four years — by proving that it is actively growing its affordable housing stock. The exact number of new affordable units needed to earn a moratorium depends on factors like income and age limits for each development.
But by relying solely on private developers to meet state guidelines, Romeo said Greenwich is akin to “a hamster on a wheel.” A 100-unit project could earn the town 30 affordable apartments, he explained, but it would also add 70 market-rate apartments to the total housing stock, pushing the finish line further back.
Using state grants and municipal bonds, Romeo said Greenwich Communities can build 100% affordable developments. Neighbors of a potential project, however, remained skeptical.
A controversial proposal
An online petition that has gathered over 300 signatures is urging the town to stop the authority’s proposal for 0 Strickland Road.
Pending town approvals, Greenwich Communities plans to turn a 2.7-acre, town-owned parking lot beside the Cos Cob train station into a 48-apartment development for local families, teachers and first responders. But surrounding neighborhoods have firmly opposed the project, claiming it will worsen existing traffic and flooding issues.
While the town scheduled a public hearing in February to allow neighbors to air their grievances, it was canceled due to a power outage and has yet to be rescheduled.
On Thursday, several Strickland Road residents reminded board members of the unresolved dispute.
Anne Tabacco, who lives less than 200 feet from the Cos Cob lot, said she supports numerous developments which fit into their communities. The authority currently owns 19 properties, including subsidized apartments, affordable duplexes and market-rate townhouses. But the Strickland Road proposal, she said, is not appropriate for the neighborhood.
“I know we want to curtail the 8-30g,” she said. “But then I don’t think that Greenwich Communities should come in with a project that feels like an 8-30g, in that it is too big and too dense for the neighborhood.”
But Romeo — who previously called the residents’ arguments “shallow” — said there are misconceptions about Greenwich Communities. Romeo maintained that the authority builds high-quality developments that help raise surrounding property values and allow longtime elderly residents to remain in town.
“Greenwich Communities is not the enemy here,” Romeo told attendees. “We’re here to be a partner with the community.”
Camillo similarly suggested that residents misunderstand the Strickland Road proposal and its benefit to the town. Although he empathizes with the concerns of neighbors, he noted that some people mistakenly believe the development would be privately owned with few affordable units.
A political turn
To maintain local control, Camillo implored residents to keep affordable housing at the top of their mind during this year’s state House and Senate elections.
In November, Republican State Sen. Ryan Fazio, and Democratic State Reps. Rachel Khanna, Stephen Meskers and Hector Arzeno have seats that will be up for grabs. Camillo said that Fazio frequently discusses issues surrounding affordable housing mandates, and urged residents to ensure that all other candidates prioritize addressing the 8-30 statute as well.
“Ask them, ‘What’s your number one issue? What’s your number two issue? What’s your number three?’” he said. “This should be number one, two and three. That’s how big this is.”
As legislators continue to introduce bills mandating 8-30g compliance, Camillo said he fully supports Greenwich Communities’ push for fully affordable developments.
Selectwoman Janet Stone McGuigan, the sole Democrat on the board, was relatively silent during Romeo’s presentation but later told CT Examiner that she supports both affordable housing and local control.
Romeo told meeting attendees that the moratorium could be obtained quickly if the Board of Estimate and Taxation were to approve bonds to fund the housing authority’s developments. Stone McGuigan said she hopes finance board members keep their campaign promises and issue the requested bonds.
“The Republican members of the BET ran on a campaign to ‘stop the high-rises.’ If they want to make good on that promise, they can,” she said. “The BET, not the BOS, can help with this.”
Stone McGuigan added that the town’s Democratic state representatives “work very hard in Hartford to advocate for Greenwich and our local zoning.”