amid praise for major CT housing bill, some say it could destroy towns — especially in fairfield county
/
By Andy Blye | Published on June 8, 2025
The state legislature approved a sweeping housing bill this week and some leaders in Connecticut – and particularly in affluent Fairfield County – see the changes to local zoning as the beginning of the end of their beloved communities.
The legislation, House Bill 5002, is also being lauded by some as a great start to addressing the state's housing crisis, while some planners acknowledge it will take time to see exactly how the myriad provisions play out from town to town.
The bill was not met with glee in Greenwich, the wealthiest town in Connecticut that is, by some measures, starved for housing units. The legislation incentivizes municipalities to plan for more units and Greenwich stands alone in needing more affordable units than any other municipality in the state.
A "Fair Share" study — commissioned by the state legislature to calculate housing need in the state — found that Greenwich needs to build more than 3,400 units if the state is to adequately address its housing shortage. The new bill takes 25% of this figure and says Greenwich needs to zone for 874 more units. The next largest fair share allocation described in the bill is with Stamford at 629 more units, then Westport at 560 and Fairfield at 533.
The bill tells municipalities to zone and plan to build these units if they want to be prioritized for state funds, but there is no mandate that these units actually need to be built. There are also opportunities for municipalities to negotiate these figures with the majority leaders' roundtable group on affordable housing.
Sam Romeo, chair of Greenwich Communities, the town's affordable housing authority, said the legislation was "madness" and that it would be a detriment if it became law.
"It's disastrous for all municipalities, especially Greenwich," Romeo said during WGCH's Ask the First Selectman Radio show on May 30.
The next caller warned that "centralized planning," like what's in the bill, is the first step toward communism and the one after that said that Fairfield County should just secede from Connecticut rather than live with these housing rules. Earlier in May, First Selectman Fred Camillo, who served as a state representative for a decade, said it was "the worst bill (he's) ever seen."
At least one Greenwich resident, Gov. Ned Lamont, does not believe the bill will destroy the town.
During a news conference on June 5, Lamont said much of the reaction from Fairfield County was a "gross mischaracterization" of the bill and that he was sympathetic to the legislation's intent, even though he had some issues with certain parts of it. He said, for example, including the large numbers of needed units for each town was "kind of dumb" and "didn't accomplish much."
Lamont had not taken any action on the bill as of June 6.
This housing bill, called "An Act Concerning Housing and the Needs of Homeless Persons," makes many changes to the authority that local governments have over planning and zoning.
In addition to linking planning with prioritization for state funds, the legislation restricts towns' ability to impose parking requirements in residential developments in most cases, it incentivizes the creation of "transit-oriented districts," it makes it easier for developers to convert commercial buildings to housing, it bans architecture that is "hostile" to people experiencing homelessness and more.
The bill passed in both the state house and senate without any Republican votes, and some Democrats voted against it in both chambers.
Connecticut's housing shortage is among the worst in the country, with business and political leaders acknowledging that the shortage makes it harder for the state to grow its economy. Democrats generally argue a more top-down approach is required to address such a severe problem, while Republicans contend that local leaders who know the community best are the ideal problem solvers.
Leaders from Bridgeport to Burlington, on both sides of the aisle, have decried the housing bill for various reasons.
The Stamford Neighborhoods Coalition, in an all-caps email subject line, called the bill a "horrific attack on home rule;" Trumbull First Selectman Vicki Tesoro, a Democrat, said "limited local control is not acceptable;" Southington Town Council Chair Paul Chaplinsky said the bill will "impose the will of uninformed CT Democrat bureaucrats in Hartford;" and CT169Strong, a zoning advocacy group, encouraged people to ask Lamont to veto the bill, which the group said would, "create utter chaos in every town."
Westport First Selectwoman Jen Tooker, a Republican running for governor next year, said the bill was "the biggest assault on local control in Connecticut in 30 years."
"The negative consequences will be felt for decades to come," Tooker said in a statement. "HB 5002 will fundamentally transform local zoning across our beautiful state, radically changing the face of our unique towns and cities without any planning, infrastructure investment or regard for our natural resources."
House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, was a co-sponsor and chief proponent of the bill. He said much of the consternation is unfounded.
"Having read a lot of the letters that they're sending, I'm not sure they actually read the bill or are interpreting it correctly," he said on June 4, hours before the legislative session ended. "(I have addressed) what's actually included in the bill, as opposed to 'complete state takeover of local zoning' and 'we're building skyscrapers in your single family neighborhood,' right? None of that was in the bill."
Outside of Fairfield County, where housing issues are not as severe, the legislation has found a warmer reception.
Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett said the bill would stabilize housing costs and improve the lives of residents; Manchester Mayor Jay Moran said the legislation would help other towns build more and thus ease homelessness in Manchester, which itself has a good mix of housing options.
Joseph Feest, Meriden’s economic development director, similarly said his town has already achieved much of what the bill encourages.
"Meriden has stepped to the plate time and time again," he said. "This (bill) comes down to the fact that some areas of Connecticut need to do more.”
Hugh Bailey of the Open Communities Alliance, a nonprofit organization that helped push the housing bill, said the provisions do not take power away from local planning boards, as some have claimed. He said local planners will actually be more important now, given the greater planning expectations.
"All the decisions on where (affordable housing) goes, what it looks like, all the different variations are all up to the local town, like they always have been – that doesn't change," he said. "It'll be harder to say no to everything. ... If you have to say yes to more things, then there's more work involved for the local people."