With the gubernatorial election season coming up, candidates are weighing in on one of the biggest topics for voters this year as housing affordability remains an issue.
Democratic gubernatorial contenders, Gov. Ned Lamont and State Rep. Josh Elliott, spoke Tuesday with the Regional Plan Association (RPA), a nonprofit advocacy organization.
In recent years, RPA led the charge on several key legislative initiatives including Work, Live, Ride and the Golden Girls bills.
RPA interviewed Lamont and Elliott, separately, on topics related to housing affordability, increasing access and use of public transportation and energy efficiency.
Gov. Lamont’s third term housing plans
Lamont touted his work in decreasing the time it takes to build new housing across the state and near public transit hubs.
“We're speeding up permitting and making real reforms that make it easier for you to build housing, as of right, especially in commercial areas,” Lamont said.
Continuing to address housing affordability and expanding the state’s homelessness response system, are two of Lamont’s legislative priorities.
“Not only do we find you a place to stay, but we’re also going to help in terms of Medicaid and SNAP,” Lamont said. “Not a lifeline, but a ladder. If childcare is an issue, addiction is an issue, workforce training. These opportunity centers are a way to get people out of homelessness and get them a better opportunity.”
State Rep. Elliott’s affordable housing goals
Elliott, who represents Guilford in the state Housing of Representatives, said part of his bid for governor will focus on housing zoning reform. Elliott supports the concept of doing away with parking and lot size requirements.
“Not all Democrats think the same. Not all are going to agree that we need to build more, that we need to be making these investments, and for some people the status quo actually works fine,” Elliott said. “We do need to be building and we do need to be working on the supply issue, and that one can't just allow the status quo to take hold, because people are struggling to be here.”
Elliott plans to tackle Connecticut’s restrictive zoning laws and would want to make it easier for homeowners to create more housing on their property.
“If you are a property owner, you should be able to do with your property as you want, and we here in the state feel like we believe that, but we don't,” Elliott said. “We actually say if you are a town administrator, you can decide what people individually do with their property.”
Elliott also said he’s in favor of bringing tolls to Connecticut as a way to generate more revenue and better maintain the state’s transit systems.
“I am pro tolls. I'm still pro tolls, even 10 years, eight years later, however long it is, because what I think it needed was a better messenger, because the fact is that we are going to have to find revenue for this,” Elliott said.
State Sen. Ryan Fazio’s housing priorities
State Sen. Ryan Fazio, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, who represents Greenwich, Stamford and New Canaan, will speak with RPA on his housing plans on Jul. 9.
Fazio told Connecticut Public it’s generally more expensive to live in Connecticut than it was when Lamont took office.
Fazio plans to pass reforms that would reduce the cost of electricity, cut income taxes, reduce the cost of housing and reduce health care costs.
“First and foremost, that includes my property tax reform and cap to reduce the property tax burden in Connecticut, which has risen to the third highest of any state,” Fazio said.
Fazio wants to maintain local control on what gets built but make it easier for property owners to add housing.
“We should protect local control of decision making to protect our wonderful neighborhoods and historic communities,” Fazio said. “But we can also give small property owners and builders more flexibility to build accessory dwelling units, convert commercial to residential units, and to build residential in mixed-use-zoned areas.
