By John Schwing
WESTPORT — The bank account has been opened, but deposits can’t be made.
That’s the status of a new “Affordable Housing Fund” established by the Representative Town Meeting last month.
After the RTM approved an ordinance to set up the fund Oct. 3, officials believed the Planning and Zoning Commission could then enact a regulation imposing fees on permits to raise money for the fund.
That, however, is not the case, Planning and Zoning Director Mary Young told the P&Z on Monday. The Town Attorney’s Office weighed in, she said, noting that the RTM, and not the P&Z, is vested with the authority to establish such fees.
So, in effort “to not miss too many more opportunities of extracting” those fees and to start generating revenue for the fund, Young suggested the commission provide guidance to the RTM on what would be “appropriate” fees — since the P&Z staff will have to assess and monitor those fees.
The P&Z staff recommends the fees be imposed on a sliding scale, with lower levies for less costly construction plans and rising for more expensive projects.
Specifically, Young said, the proposed fees on zoning permit applications would be $2.50 for every $1,000 of estimated construction costs for a project under $500,000 and $5 for every $1,000 in construction costs for projects greater than $500,000.
P&Z Vice Chairman Paul Lebowitz, who also advocated acting on the proposal “sooner rather than later,” said that had Affordable Housing Fund fees been in place this year, it’s estimated about $600,000 to $700,000 would have accrued to the program.
Based on Monday’s discussion, the P&Z plans to formalize recommendations at its Dec. 18 meeting, with the hope the RTM approves the fees in January.
The fund will be dedicated to acquiring land or facilitating construction and/or maintenance of new or existing affordable housing units in town. The concept emerged after several months of review by the Planning and Zoning Commission’s Affordable Housing Subcommittee and various RTM committees to help meet one of the goals in the town’s state-mandated Affordable Housing Plan, adopted last year.
In addition to generating revenue from permit fees, the fund can derive resources from inclusionary zoning fees, grants, donations and loans.
Use of the fund, including investment dividends, would be restricted to affordable housing projects.The fund would be overseen by a new five-person panel.
Several other suburban communities in Fairfield County have already adopted variations of a trust fund to promote affordable housing initiatives, and their primary source of revenue also comes from fees on building and zoning permits.
John Schwing, the Westport Journal consulting editor, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.
Always easy to take money out of the pocket of someone other than yourself. Real estate fees from property transfer taxes all of which go to the State of Connecticut amount to over one million dollars a year at the expense of Westport homeowners. state and local capital gains taxes which exceed 30% affect every real estate transaction significantly increasing the cost of housing. It’s somewhat egregious to raise the cost of housing for every homeowner in the name of affordable housing.
There are those of us who object to affordable housing. We saved,sacrificed , got up before dawn’s early light to commute to Manhattan to afford to live in a community surrounded by people who do the same. We didn’t thnk twice disembarking the train in the dark walking through the commuter parking lot that we might be mugged. We did CVS runs at midnight. Stop & Shop after dark to grab munchies for a pregnant wife. We closed our eyes without hitting the security system.
We are now siupposed to welcome wih open arms every flotsum and jetsum that washes up on Compo . Build it a new home. Educate their offspring. And apologize we have more than they do.
Maybe that works for those of you running for Jesus. I am not. And I refuse to pay for those who can’t afford to pay for themselves. You don’t order filet mignon on a happy meal budget.
Unfortunately Caroline it appears that this town is too far down the road to the left to expect anything other than decline in the schools, property values, quality of life, etc. for the foreseeable future. Perhaps a grassroots effort can be organized going forward but it will require more people to admit out loud that they don’t like the direction this town and this state are going. So far that’s not happening here in Westport ( though election results were much better in some other towns). Apparently things are going to have to get a lot worse before they get better. With the team we have at the helm I’m sure we can count on that.
Sharon, sit down before reading this headline from Ct,Insider ,to which I do not subscribe, “Westport waterfront apartment project offers affordable housing ,dock.”
WESTPORT — Two former office buildings along the Saugatuck River are being renovated into apartments, including two affordable housing units. The eight total units will each have their own balconies and access to a dock for boats, features one doesn’t associate with affordable housing.
Now 2 out of 8 tenants will be living better than you and I and most of the other Westport taxpayers.
Which brings to mind the question, is the new taxpayer contribution to the affordable housing fund going to be spent on upgraded amenities like a boat ? Because after all, they have a right to sail to Cockenoe as well. And while they’re sipping margaritas on their waterfront balcony,what use is a dock without a boat?
Caroline. And Sharon, I could not agree more.
By the way the proposed affordable units always get negotiated away to some lesser desirable spot. Are we spotting any affordable housing in bank house ? Nooope
The hamlet is already looking for cheap garbage elsewhere to call their “allocation”
All been relegated to other areas.
They get the benefits of the rules and max out on breaking the rules norm in the name of affordable housing then allocate the few units elsewhere.
Outrageous !!!!!
Might as well build a “project”
out here. Where every contactor can jump on the bandwagon
Just literal bull shit…
Exactly, where does this all end, other than in fiscal insolvency at the very least. Kind of reminds me of the NYC migrants who refused accommodations at Floyd Bennett Field and demanded to be returned to the Roosevelt Hotel. Leftists have created these entitled monsters and we have to deal with it because it’s only “fair”. Can someone give these idiots a dictionary so they can look up the definition of fair?
Sharon. It is breathtaking. Just entitled monsters only begins to describe the expectations and situation that has been unfolding for over a decade.
You work hard, go to school, graduate, are successful, and basically you end up in the same house and town as some loser who gets to say he or she was disadvantaged, therefore should get it for free.
So he if she lives next door to you in the more or less free house they get that you are paying for, we are no longer allowed feel hard done by. If we do, we are labeled racist or elitist.
And end of the day, they possibly have more to spend than you do.
Incredible
There is an expression for that Mary. It’s called “ghetto rich”. Coming soon to a gold coast town near you. Thanks alot democrats and the rest of you virtue signaling morons.
Ladies,let’s give a standing ovation to the publisher of the Westport Journal who unlike his colleague at the Patch, continues to print our neighbor to neighbor discussions. This morning’s Westport Patch headline, if you haven’t yet caught it, ” Westport Police Search For Missing Man,40.” The aricle shows a video surveillance camera of a 5’9″ 190 lb well dressed black man last seen leaving a housing complex on Canal St. There is no report that he was reported missing by his employer.
I was blissfully in the dark as to the existence of a homeless shelter on Canal St. The Canal Park units which prior to this afternoon I thought were reserved for the elderly are now multifamily as well. Given that broad application, it comes as a surprise the units have not been updated with balconies, string lights ,adirondack
chairs surrounding a fire pit.
Mary, do you accept SNAP vouchers at Nomade or is that coming soon to restaurants in Westport?
I believe Canal Park low income housing is reserved for elderly or handicapped in some way? This individual is off his meds which could possibly be psychiatric medication making him a danger to others. This must be another part of the diversity we are told will make Westport a better place to live.
The Town of Westport does not deserve such vitriol. The fact is, there are State affordable housing mandates that the Town has been struggling to meet for over 20 years.
Until Section 8-30g of was adopted as law in Connecticut, Westport scored high marks for fulfilling affordable and elderly housing needs at Canal Park, Hales Court and Crescent Park, among others.
Section 8-30g is so heavily supported by construction lobbies, that despite volumes of better legislation proposed repeatedly by State Legislators is as futile as teaching a pig to sing.
I hope the commenters are also writing to their State Legislators and the Governor’s office, as the buck starts and stops there.
Here’s a question for you. Who is Westport voting to send to Hartford? Judging from the recent election, I think we know. I have lived in this town for decades and Democrat driven laws have brought about every negative change that I have seen, including the ones we have been discussing here. Obviously you appreciate what’s happening; I don’t. There are more empty businesses than I’ve ever seen, more garbage in the streets, seemingly homeless people stumbling around town and criminals preying on our citizens. If you like all this keep voting Democrat.
Absolutely Caroline. I got that same line of bull from Danielle Dobin about it all being the state’s fault. And yet her enthusiasm for picturesque cottage clusters in bucolic settings indicated that she is all in on this. Additionally we have a feckless Republican party in this town, completely cowed by loud mouthed Democrats who lie down like rugs and are surprised when they are walked on.
Sharon, yes I read the WPD concern for this sterling character who perhaps returned to Bridgeport from whence he came , being off his meds.Perhaps it’s insulin,maybe as you suggested psych meds.which are deeply concerning if in it’s infinite wisdom the town is housing this resident to live alongside the elderly and infirm.
Gloria, those of us commentators who are raising our voices in opposition to the destruction of our fair city are doing it out of love. If we didn’t give a rat’s ass as to the state of affairs we’d be complacent.
In terms of the State mandate to build affordable housing, isn’t it interesting that Westport is leading the pack with a diversity rating of 74 out of 100? New Canaan on the other hand is fighting developers and winning both the battle and the niche rating spot of number 1 best school system. The New Canaan diversity rating is 64.Accordingly, New Canaan real estate values are up 8.2% over last year. Westport’s rose an anemic 1%.
But no other town in Fairfield Co. has a TEAM Westport or a Westport 10 whose sole mission is to increase diversity. It’s absurd the ruling body responsible for the decline of everything from the educational ranking of our schools to the historic price slashes in a buyer’s market represents less than 1% of the population.
Fairfield County and Shoreline legislators have consistently proposed amendments to Section 8-30g, but as long as there are more representatives from other areas of the State rabidly opposing this changes, there efforts will be futile.
Communities like ours are under constant attack by affordable housing advocates that repeatedly add credence to the ridiculous claim that our local zoning laws are based upon community’s inborn racism.
This battlecry has been adopted by groups likely funded by developers whose accusations speak louder than the reality that the basis for our zoning laws is the land’s ability to support and sustain various intensities of development.
For example, our two acre zoning districts are located in areas where soil and geographic conditions, and distant from municipal services like public water and sewer systems. Absent organizations out-shouting the constant din of the false narratives, public opinion isn’t likely to change anytime soon. Until it does, being held hostage by having affordable housing mandates forced upon us will only get worse.
As a planner by profession, I recognize the some of the unspoken issues behind the poverty that fuels the lack of affordable housing, is the unremitting cycle of the lack higher education opportunities and the ever-dwindling numbers of workers able to earn a living wage.
Once upon a time in Westport, our Town employees earned enough to allow them to live in town or communities just over the Town line. Those who worked their way up the professional ladder could afford to buy homes here or nearby.
Now, many if not most public service employees, are compelled to live so remotely that they must spend hours a day, stuck in mass traffic jams along with similarly affected members of the workforce.
The problems, like most in our society, are complex and may in the end, be impossible to resolve by this generation or the next, or the next.
A few more things that I know for sure: No one aspires to being poor, or hungry, or sick, or poorly housed or held in low esteem by society for being so. With so many of us a week, a month, a year of missed paychecks away from homelessness, my wish this Thanksgiving is that we all agree to stop holding the less fortunate in contempt, and in addition to being grateful for what we have, we make a pact to remember that there but for the grace of God, go us all.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I do appreciate that sentiment as well Gloria and I do believe that a
government “safety net”is the mark of an advanced compassionate society. Unfortunately as in many examples of liberalism, it goes way too far in many cases and creates a generational dependency as well as an undue burden on the taxpayers. We are at the point where zoning changes and imposition of low income housing developments are being used to punish those who are wealthier than others as if they were all “to the manor born” rather than well off by dint of hard work and education. By the way, even if you have a lovely home due to inherited money why should you be punished for that. Life isn’t fair; we need to accept that and do the best we can as individuals. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Other towns fight affordable housing .Ours not only welscomes it, we solicit it. We are the inly town with a TEAM Westport and a Westport 10 whose sole mission is to entice people of color to live here. Thanks to their efforts,Westport is a state leader among suburban communities in addressing affordable housing. Our diversity rating is 74. Weston has a diversity rating of 86. Tons of open space but not a project in sight. We ,on the other hand, have built the monument to stupidity at 122 Wilton. In blatant disregard of environmental concerns,traffic impact and even the safety concerns echoed by the Chief of the Westport Fire Dept.
Now Dobin propses more affordable housing to be built on Baron”s South. Other towns preserve historic mansions. Ours will convert it to a project. From the sublime estate of the founder of one of the world’s greatest perfumes to the ridiculous intrusion of low cost housing.
In what universe is multi million dollar land generously bequeathed to the town with the sole purpose of being preserved as open space only to have that dying wish disregarded? This forcing the heirs to fight the town whilch has benefitted to their detriment in receiving said gift ? What’s next? The land on Bayberry bequeathed by Paul Newman?
Just rhis week WPD had to invest time and resources to find a missing 40 year old who spent his life in Bridgeport but now lives on Canal St. Gloria mentioned town employeees can’t afford to live here so they are forced to commute as I have my entire working life. But why is this man here?
We are building affordable housing not to give a place called home to our own residents: elderly,families on one income,kids returning after college.We are recruiting multicultural indigents to move on up and finally grab a piece of the pie. And I not only endorse it. I not only object to it. I resent it.
But as my husband with his typical tongue in cheek British humor said there is something to be thankful for in all of this If we don’t get carried out of our Westport home feet first but leave because we chose to sell , we will pay far less in capital gains..
In case you missed it while standing in line for Black Friday deals. This article speaks volumes regarding the lack of transparency in our fair city.
Headline: Westport Patch 11/24/2023 CELEBRITY WESTPORT COUPLE SUES SCHOOL SYSTEM IN TAINTED CANDY CASE.”
https://patch.com/connecticut/westport/celebrity-westport-couple-sues-school-system-tainted-candy-case?utm_source=shared-email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share
Scott Foley ,his wife, and the Capenters are suing The Westport Board of Education, Lee Golstein,,chair at the time,Super Thomas SCARICE,who never even called the Foleys to ascertain how their child was doing after hospitalization, anf DAttco bus co.
Of further interest to my enquiring legal mind, is why the parents of the 15 year old SHS student who allegedly admitted to police having left the bag of THC infused candy on the bus. There is no mention of this student’s having been arrested ,suspended or disciplined in any way.
Parents are responsible for the torts committed by their children. This is commonly known as “vicarious liability.” Most civil lawsuits filed against parents for their child’s misbehavior seek financial compensation.
So why were these parents not named in the lawsuit? Where did this THC poisoned candy come from? What action is being taken to bring this 15 year old reprobate into court with his parents who must know or should jhave known he is either taking drugs himself or distributing them?
Which begs the question who are these parents? Where do they live? Why is the reference as to how the children found the THC laced candy just an anecdotal aside reference to a SHS 15 year old student?
In the Bayberry carjacking incident,police tracked down and arrested a 16 year old from Waterbury.
Is stealing a car more reprehensible than the act of taking THC and introducing it to minors who amost died?
So now the town will undoubedly settle out of court. Dattco will defray part of the expense. WE the taxpayers will defray the lions shatre of the verdict.
And all will be swept under the rug.
Or will it? Will the parents revolt against a school system in which Ambrosio folloewing orders from Scarice to tell students not to discuss anything that happens within closed classroom doors? Again, Art Ellis,the 72 year old career Westport teacher was arrested at 72 for inappropriate touchimng of a female Bedford Middle school student. What other secrets are there that need to be exposed?
Tune in for my next commentary. If it sees the light of day .
I