Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse
Strategy-of-the-Month Club
June 2007
It's simple arithmetic that large lot
sizes result in lower
densities, which in turn lead to increased
housing costs and
decreased availability of affordable
housing. In adopting
policies that promote higher densities,
local jurisdictions can
help increase the supply of workforce
housing, reduce regional
traffic congestion, and save on public
service and infrastructure
costs. The city of Stamford, Connecticut
is looking to a recently
approved high-density residential development
to accomplish
just that.
Earlier this year, Stamford approved
a proposal to convert a
1968 five-story office building into
a 55-unit apartment
complex. The plan required a zone change
from a minimum
floor area of 800 square feet per unit,
to 600 square feet per
unit. Additionally, the developer requested
a density bonus.
The Stamford Zoning Board, which currently
does not require
the inclusion of affordable units in
conversion projects,
approved their request, provided that
the developer set aside
15 percent of the units for affordable
housing. The apartments,
scheduled to be completed in the summer
of 2008, will be
available to rent for $1,000 to $1,100
per month and range in
size from 413 to 570 square feet.
While a 55-unit complex may not solve
all of a community's
housing problems, sometimes, a carefully
considered project
that proves successful in practice
can open the door to
additional development later on, and
encourage local planning
and zoning officials to try approaches
that diverge - perhaps
significantly - from "standard
operating procedure." For
developers on Connecticut's Gold Coast,
one open door may
let in a lot of fresh air.
Additional information on this project
can be found
at https://www.huduser.gov/rbc/search/rbcdetails.asp?DocId=1546.
We hope this information proves useful
to you in your efforts to
grow your region's affordable housing
stock. If you have
regulatory reform strategies or resources
that you'd like to
share, send us an email at rbcsubmit@huduser.gov,
call us at
1-800-245-2691 (option 4), or visit
our website
at www.regbarriers.org.
Feel free to forward this message to
anyone who is working to
reduce regulatory barriers to affordable
housing.
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