By Meghan Muldoon

WESTPORT–State Representative Jonathan Steinberg, D-Westport, said Democrats are “very close” to finalizing affordable housing legislation in anticipation of next week’s special session of the General Assembly.  

While Steinberg voted against the original version of H.B. 5002, legislation addressing rising housing costs and homelessness, he expressed confidence that the reworked bill would address his previous objections. Still, he acknowledges that he has yet to see the exact language and may not learn what’s in the bill until shortly before the vote.

“There is a concern that the longer it is out there, the more opportunity we have for opponents to take pot shots at it, to perhaps choose to interpret it in its most extreme form,” Steinberg explained.

The secrecy surrounding the negotiations is alarming to Alexis Harrison, a member of Fairfield’s Planning and Zoning Commission and the co-founder of CT169Strong, a non-partisan grassroots group advocating for local control in zoning and land-use decisions.

“This is being done in the dark by one party, without any sunshine. It’s not a transparent process” says Harrison. “If they’re going to ram this through, during a special session, that means no vetting process, no public hearing. That’s not a good process for a bill that’s going to significantly impact every town, city and hamlet in Connecticut.”

The General Assembly passed H.B. 5002 in May, with no Republican support. However, Democrat Governor Ned Lamont vetoed the bill, amid objections from municipal leaders largely centered around provisions that eliminated minimum parking requirements for smaller developments and required towns to meet specific “fair share” housing quotas. 

Top Democratic leaders are now working on a revised version to be voted on during next week’s special session scheduled for Nov. 12.

“Everybody should have a seat at the table.”

In a letter to legislators explaining the reasoning behind his veto, Lamont expressed a preference for housing reform achieved through collaboration with municipalities rather than mandate. 

But Maria Weingarten, CT169Strong’s co-founder and legislative director, argues that major decisions are still being made in “back room deals” with no input from local officials.

“They’re not bringing everybody to the table. There are just housing advocates at the table,” Weingarten said.  “They’re not people who are the boots on the ground, like local zoning commissioners, like wetland officials, people who are doing the work and understand the constraints of our communities.”

Special Session versus General Session

The proposed special session, designed to fast-track the legislation, bypasses traditional vetting mechanisms, like public hearings, that normally accompany major policy changes. 

While acknowledging general concerns about the limited public scrutiny, Steinberg argued that the renegotiated bill is largely based on the previous version which did pass through the normal vetting process.  

Supporters of the legislation insist that the public has already had ample opportunity to weigh in. State Sen. Ceci Maher, D-Wilton, who voted for the original bill, said it has been through extensive discussion.

“This year’s housing bill has had every public hearing and public forum under the sun and has been reviewed and discussed nonstop in the press,” Maher said. “It’s time to move forward.”

Critics of the special session’s fast-tracked approach question why lawmakers can’t simply wait three more months and take up the bill during the regular legislative session which begins on Feb. 4.

But Steinberg contends that the state’s affordable housing needs are too pressing to delay.

“That’s three more months, we’re not doing anything,” said Steinberg. “I think there is a legitimate urgency to the affordable housing crisis, not just in Connecticut, but nationwide. We want to get units built sooner than later.” 

But opponents argue that rushing legislation on an issue as far-reaching as housing reform risks producing flawed policy while undermining democratic processes. 

“We should not be legislating like this. These are significant bills that will impact everyone.  Why not have a proper vetting process,” argued Weingarten. “What are they afraid of?”

Meghan Muldoon

^{_{Meghan Muldoon is a freelance journalist based in Darien, Connecticut. As a television and print journalist, Muldoon has covered state government and politics in Virginia and Connecticut.}}