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With the ink still dripping wet on HB 8002 — rushed through as an “emergency” solution to a sudden housing crisis — the Connecticut Senate is now slicing up land thinner than a slice of pizza at a child’s birthday party.

Nine units on one acre.

Children drafting housing policy could have decreed a better bill than this latest proposal being marketed as “starter home” reform.

Reducing lot sizes to 5,000 square feet does not magically create affordability. It creates density. And density without infrastructure, environmental safeguards, or affordability requirements is not reform — it is fantasy.

Fairfield is the preview, and the development is not even “starter homes”.

Look at Fairfield.

Businesses that served the community for 40 and 50 years have been displaced for dense redevelopment projects. Downtown corridors reshaped not through organic growth, but through statutory pressure from Hartford.

And this transformation happened before SB151.

It happened under Connecticut General Statutes 8-30g.

8-30g: The Existing Override

Section 8-30g already allows developers to override local zoning in municipalities that have not met the state’s affordable housing thresholds.

Its practical effects:

• Increased density beyond local planning norms
• Litigation leverage favoring developers
• Pressure to approve projects despite infrastructure strain
• Transformation of established neighborhoods under the “affordability” fantasy

At least 8-30g ties density relief to affordability requirements.

SB151 does not.

What SB151 Does

Senate Bill 151:

• Caps lot sizes at 5,000 square feet (up to 9 units per acre)
• Reduces setbacks to 5–10 feet (you can reach out and touch your neighbor)
• Eliminates meaningful height and lot coverage limits
• Mandates zoning changes in areas with existing or “planned” sewer and water
• Provides no state funding for infrastructure upgrades
• Contains no mandatory affordability requirements
• Limits municipalities from acting on public health and safety concerns unless threats are deemed “immediate”
• Weakens historic preservation protections

Combined with HB 8002’s parking reductions, SB151 risks:

• Traffic congestion
• Emergency vehicle access challenges
• Overcrowded schools
• Sewer and water system strain (and backup issues)
• Increased stormwater runoff and flooding

And when infrastructure fails?

Local taxpayers pay and it will fail. Towns already have pumping issues to move sewage.

Density Without Affordability

If 8-30g was the wedge, SB151 is the sledgehammer.

Under 8-30g, developers receive override benefits only if affordability thresholds are met.

Under SB151, density becomes automatic in sewered areas — even if sewer expansion is conceptual, unfunded, or years away — without requiring affordability in return.

That means:

• Naturally occurring affordable homes may be demolished
• Luxury townhomes may replace modest housing stock
• Property taxes may rise to fund infrastructure shortfalls

Reducing lot size does not reduce construction costs, land costs, material costs, or financing costs. You should watch the testimony of Senator Jason Perillo:

Real affordability requires:

• Sensible Infrastructure investment
• Incentives aligned with middle-class homeownership
• Inclusionary requirements
• Environmental protection
• Local input (not mandates from Hartford)

The Bigger Picture

The Connecticut Legislature — led by Governor Ned Lamont — is advancing a vision of housing reform that prioritizes mandates over municipal partnership.

Fairfield is not theoretical.

It is the case study.

Layer 8-30g.

Add HB 8002.

Now impose SB151.

The cumulative effect is not incremental.

It is a recipe for exponential disaster, especially when public transportation is a fantasy.

And if children can see that nine houses crammed onto one acre without affordability requirements doesn’t solve a housing crisis, perhaps Hartford should take a breath before reshaping every town in the state.

Take Action

The bipartisan grassroots organization CT169 Strong has made it easy to contact legislators and voice opposition.

If you know your representatives’ emails, you can copy the message below and send it directly.

TEXT TO SUBMIT TO YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Dear Housing Committee, State Reps. and Senators, Legislative Leaders and Gov. Lamont:

Please oppose Senate Bill 151, which eliminates local zoning discretion in areas with existing or planned public sewer and water with top-down state mandates.

Concerns:

1. Caps lot sizes at 5,000 sq ft (9 units or 0.11 per acre), causing exponential density development without evaluating sewer, water, stormwater runoff, schools, roads and parking capacity.
2. Reduces setbacks to 5–10 feet and eliminates height and lot coverage limits, encouraging overcrowding and loss of green space. Developers will maximize profits with oversized luxury developments, not starter or senior homes.
3. Provides no state funding for infrastructure upgrades, shifting costs to local taxpayers and increasing property taxes.
4. Ignores environmental risks including flooding, runoff, tree loss, and water quality damage.
5. Forces townhomes in single-family zones and subdivision of existing lots, limiting municipalities’ ability to craft effective affordable housing policies.
6. Contains no affordability requirements and risks demolishing naturally occurring affordable homes to build dense luxury developments.
7. Combined with HB 8002 parking limits, will worsen congestion, safety risks, and emergency access.
8. Mandates zoning based on outdated or unfunded sewer and water expansion plans, potentially increasing local property taxes.
9. Weakens historic preservation protections.
10. Limits municipalities from addressing public health and safety concerns unless threats are deemed “immediate.”

Effective housing policy must include local input, infrastructure planning, environmental protection, and real affordability solutions. Senate Bill 151 fails to meet these standards.

Sincerely,

Connecticut Resident

Nine houses on one acre may look good in a legislative talking point.

But it does not make housing affordable — and it does not make Connecticut stronger.

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