The Simsbury Zoning Commission last week approved measures aimed at overhauling regulations to encourage more affordable housing in town.
Patch Staff
SIMSBURY, CT — Individually, the items approved and discussed by Simsbury's zoning board last week were merely regulation tweaks and policy changes.
But collectively, the goal behind what the Simsbury Zoning Commission approved on Feb. 3 aims to change the way housing is developed in town and change the town's housing affordability.
Calling their objectives a "Housing Strategies Tool Kit," the Simsbury Zoning Commission committed itself to creating "new housing strategies designed to facilitate more diverse housing opportunities in the town."
For example, the following items were unanimously approved last week by the town's zoning board:
• Ammended zoning regulations regarding accessory dwelling units, to revise the review and approval process for attached and detached accessory dwelling units.
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• Ammended zoning regulations regarding residential districts to add a new type of district requiring a minimum of 8,000-square-foot lots (4,000 square feet for two-family homes).
The new regulations tweak the standards, setbacks, and other requirements to build on smaller lots.
• Amend and rename the town's "Workforce Housing Overlay Zone" to "Housing Strategies Floating Zone" and create additional housing opportunities with flexible design standards.
Taken as a whole, the goal is for Simsbury to, simply, be a more affordable option for folks looking to move into town or staying in town.
This, especially, would benefit younger folks being able to afford living and staying in town after venturing out on their own after school, proponents said.
The zoning board did vote to defer discussion and, possible action, to the March 3 zoning board meeting for so-called "inclusionary zoning" requirements.
This proposal would require housing developers pitching 10 or more homes/units to set aside 15 percent of the units as "affordable," with half of those units "to be sold or rented to households with incomes at or below 80 percent of median household income."
What that means is if a developer is planning a luxury apartment complex, 15 percent of those units have to be set aside as "affordable" and half of those units sold or rented to folks with incomes within a certain percentage of the median income.
In another vote, the zoning board unanimously voted that the "housing took kit" items are in line with Simsbury's plan of conservation and development.
This means, according to town officials, that a diverse housing base is in line with what municipal leaders have stated is desirable regarding future housing development in town.
The push toward more affordable housing in Simsbury was the crux of a Jan. 22 zoning board public hearing, in which several opinions were offered.
After the hearing, which was closed on Jan. 22, the zoning board opted to discuss and address the housing rules on Feb. 3.
"There's a lot of material and we've had a lot of conversations about this," Simsbury Zoning Commission Chairman Bruce H. Elliott said.
Public opinion has been mixed, with some on Jan. 22 decrying the movement as being "spot zoning" that would lower existing property values.
Many speaking feared the impacts of having new populations of people, potentially, moving into town, and some feared community disruptions.
Others supported the changes, saying it was important for zoning regulations that encourage younger folks to live in town.
Proponents said this could, perhaps, older residents' grown children to live closer to family when they are ready to move out.
With closer adult family members, proponents said it would make it easier for them to help their parents as they age.
For the minutes of the Jan. 22 Simsbury Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link
For the minutes of the Feb. 3 Simsbury Zoning Commission meeting, click on this link.
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