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05/20/2005 |
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Amann irked by Milford critics |
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Phil Helsel , Register Staff |
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MILFORD — State House Speaker James Amann is criticizing
some city officials who blamed the state legislature for the
city’s current affordable housing controversy.
Hundreds of Devon residents packed a Planning and Zoning Board
meeting Tuesday to oppose a 28-unit affordable housing complex
being proposed for Naugatuck Avenue, while some PZB members
complained that the state legislature has done little to change
what they say is Connecticut’s burdensome affordable housing
statutes.
"It’s the Pontius Pilate move," Amann said. "They got a little
heat from Devon and the next thing they do, to take the heat off
them, is to point to Hartford. Hartford didn’t zone Devon."
The city designated Naugatuck and New Haven avenues and Boston
Post Road for affordable housing two years ago, a move that has
irked some residents who feel the economically challenged Devon
neighborhood is being singled out for low-income housing.
Developer Louis D’Amato wants to build a 28-unit affordable
housing complex on Naugatuck Avenue near Milford Point; nine of
the apartments would be designated as affordable under state
guidelines.
PZB Vice Chairman Mark Lofthouse on Thursday defended his stance
that state lawmakers are to blame for affordable housing laws,
which he called patently unfair to Milford and other shoreline
cities.
"It really does go back to Hartford," said Lofthouse, R-5. "(The
state statute) is the underlying problem here. What we’re left
to do, like most other communities, is to deal with it. ... It’s
unfair to cities like Milford that are reasonably affordable."
Lofthouse said that the city has increased its percentage of
affordable housing from 5.4 percent to about 6.7 percent in the
last six years. A city must have 10 percent of its housing
designated as affordable to be able to block developments such
as D’Amato’s.
The PZB is not expected to vote on the Naugatuck Avenue housing
project for at least a month, but the imbroglio has highlighted
efforts by state lawmakers to amend Connecticut’s 16-year-old
affordable housing law, which some lawmakers have characterized
as widely abused by some developers.
"It’s a huge problem," said state Sen. Gayle Slossberg,
D-Milford. "It allows a developer to use this law to completely
circumvent a town’s plan for development."
Amann, Slossberg, and state Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, all
said this week that they want the law changed, but so far they
have not been able to garner enough support to do so. Amann said
about 55-60 house lawmakers support changing the statute, well
short of the "magic 76" needed to pass an amendment.
"We’ve been working on this for seven years. There’s not the
votes up here," Amann said. "The statute was well-intentioned,
but the problem is certain developers take advantage of it."
Diane Randall, executive director of the non-profit homeless and
affordable housing advocacy group Partnership for Strong
Communities, called recent talk of amending the affordable
housing law troubling. She said that while the state statute
might not be perfect, Connecticut needs places for working
people to live.
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