It sounds worse than it is Zone for housing development would be first in the state

CORNWALL — With little money available for public subsidies, and a state statute that requires at least 10 percent of housing in Connecticut towns be affordable, towns need to look at ways to attract developers.

Though it goes against the grain in small towns, land planners say the best approach to controlling development is to identify areas where housing density is desirable and the land can support it.

A current concern is the cost of housing, which is keeping middle-class  families from moving here. It is those families that typically provide volunteers for vital services such as the volunteer fire department and ambulance.

Site selected on Route 7

In Cornwall, a piece of property has been identified by the Northwestern Connecticut Regional Planning Collaborative as meeting the criteria for an incentive housing zone (IHZ).

It was the subject of an informational meeting at Town Hall Feb. 11 that attracted about 20 residents.

An IHZ is a spot zone legally allowed by a new state law. If approved in Cornwall, it could be the first in Connecticut.

It focuses on locating cluster housing that is at least 20 percent affordable in or close to village centers. Finding such properties is difficult, not just from the physical aspect. Owners also need to be willing to sell.

Jocelyn Ayer, a planner with the collaborative, said they looked at several properties in Cornwall, as they are doing in towns across the region.

An 18-acre site off Route 7 in Cornwall Bridge, just north of the Route 45 intersection, was already on the market.

A survey showed about 4 acres are developable. With wells and septic systems, it would support 15 homes. At least three would have to be deed-restricted as affordable. None of the homes would likely be visible from the road.

In Cornwall, an IHZ means primarily relaxing the 3-acre lot minimum. Affordable is defined as 80 percent of the median of the local annual family income, which in Cornwall would be $67,000.

An option only

An IHZ is an “overlay zone,� meaning it opens up an option for a piece of property. It does not place any overriding restrictions on the land. Under current Cornwall zoning regulations, the identified property could be subdivided into nine lots.

Even if an IHZ is established there, affordable homes do not have to be built.

However, the hope is that developers will want to come to the site because the process of getting a variance will have been completed.

If you build it, who will come?

Residents at the meeting were quick to point out that a developer is not likely to be concerned about who moves into town, and would go for “top dollar� when building homes.

One resident said it seemed like a lot of trouble to attract three families who may not be willing to volunteer.

“I’m not saying it’s the best or only tool, by far,� Ayer said. “It’s just another way to approach it. And I think three affordable homes for the sake of 12 is worth it, plus you have control over the design of all the homes there.�

The concept of combining affordable and higher-end housing is not a new one. It is the pattern that established itself naturally across much of this region.

It was also noted that Cornwall has a jobs issue, that people who buy a home here are likely to have to commute to a job.

“There are teachers at the school here who can’t afford to live here,� former Planning and Zoning Chair Annie Kosciusko said.

One resident said she completely renovated a duplex in the center of Cornwall Bridge and kept the rent to a minimum, but it sat empty for 19 months until she gave up on finding tenants. She wondered if affordable housing developers would face the same situation.

“We need to work on both housing and jobs,â€� said First Selectman Gordon Ridgway. “It’s  a long-term problem and this is one aspect to consider.â€�

The next step is for the collaborative to propose the new zone to the Planning and Zoning Commission.

The process to adopt would be like any zone change proposal, and would require a public hearing.

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