Two-thirds of Connecticut is zoned for single-family homes only. And advocates say this zoning restriction is a roadblock to more affordable housing. That’s one of the main takeaways from a new "zoning atlas" launched by a fair housing group.
The group is called Desegregate CT. Their map shows zoning regulations in all of Connecticut’s 169 municipalities. Sara Bronin is the founder.
“Our purpose in providing the data is to have a starting point for every town to look closely at what kind of zoning they allow. And to ask those questions of themselves, whether they as a town think they could be doing better in any respect. And I’m sure every town could find ways to improve,” Bronin said.
The map shows only about 22% of the state is zoned to allow multi-family housing. Eight Connecticut towns don’t allow multi-family housing at all, and six others only allow about 2% or less of their land for multi-family housing.
“Zoning heavily influences the way we live. It influences where we live. It influences what we can do with our properties. It dictates our economy, our relationships with each other and the very structure of our society,” Bronin said.
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