LWVCT Supports HB 7419 Incentives for Affordable Housing Construction 2/23/07
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CGA SELECT COMMITTEE ON HOUSING PUBLIC HEARING FEBRUARY 23, 2007 Support for: HB 7149, AA Concerning Housing for Economic Growth Comments submitted by Barbara Brockhurst, Housing Specialist
The League of Women Voters of Connecticut supports HB 7149, which will serve as an incentive to municipalities to allow the construction of higher density housing. Higher density housing is generally conducive to being affordable, because less land per unit is needed, so land costs are reduced. And by encouraging compact development instead of sprawl, more open space can remain undeveloped. The intent is to begin to reverse the longstanding and market driven tendency of municipalities to zone for widely spaced single family dwellings that continually consume large swaths of Connecticut’s land area. This pattern of development is now recognized as being destructive to our ecosystems and particularly, to the quality of our waterways and ultimately to our supply of fresh water.
HB 7149 provides that 20 percent of the constructed housing will be affordable for households earning less than 80% of median income. Lack of affordable housing continues to deplete our communities of younger families and of workers essential to our businesses and who supply many of the services on which we all rely. Many of our adult children cannot now afford to settle in their own home towns. Many workers who manage to stay in Connecticut are forced to live far from their job and make longer commutes, most often by private car, which increases road congestion and air pollution.
The League therefore believes that incentives for the construction of affordable housing continue to be needed. As written, this legislation encourages each municipality to be proactive in locating housing in areas with adequate infrastructure and near existing transportation facilities. It brings the promise of towns working in partnership with developers and with the State to shape their growth in ways that are ecologically responsible, and provides the housing necessary to retain our workforce and bolster our economy. The Connecticut League believes that all of our residents must have adequate housing and also that we must do all that we can to protect our natural resources. Therefore, we strongly support HB 7149 and urge that this committee give its full support for enactment. |
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