With less than 2 percent affordable housing, well below the state required 10-percent, New Fairfield officials have approved a plan outlining its intentions to form an ad hoc committee tasked with exploring affordable housing opportunities in town.  Selectman Khris Hall says a plan must be adopted and sent to the state by June 1. 

Renters and homeowners in New Fairfield are burdened by housing costs according to an analysis by the Western Connecticut Council of Governments.  27 percent of households are burdened by housing costs.  Nearly 56 percent of renters and 25 percent of homeowners spend at least 30 percent of their income on housing. 

The committee will include 5 to 7 New Fairfield residents and three ex-officio members from the Planning Commission, Zoning Commission and the Board of Selectmen. 

The planning requirement relates to Section 8-30g of the Connecticut General Statutes, which allows developers to bypass local zoning laws with certain exceptions for health and safety. Municipalities are subject to 8-30g unless 10 percent of their housing stock is considered affordable, or they are granted a moratorium. 

As of last year, 1.29 percent of New Fairfield’s housing stock met the affordability standards.  New Fairfield has 85 units considered affordable, under 8-30g, and would need either 474 more to meet the 10 percent threshold, or at least 879 units for households making 80 percent of the area median income and spending more than 30 percent on housing costs.

Hall noted that during the last legislative session, the General Assembly came close to passing legislation that she says would have gone much further with state mandates on housing.  State Representative Patrick Callahan weighed in noting that the matter of affordable housing will likely come up again this session.