Fair housing advocates in Connecticut said the state needs to reform zoning laws that require homes to only be built on certain size properties. They said restrictive zoning makes it more difficult for low-income residents to afford a home.
Advocates said under state law, more than 80% of residential land in Connecticut requires at least an acre, and nearly half the state requires two acres, for a single-family home.
“Even just reducing those super-large lot sizes to very large lot sizes would increase the supply of single-family homes considerably in the state,” said Nick Abbott with Desegregate CT. “But have little to no effect on existing home values when implemented statewide on a broad basis.”
Desegregate CT said higher minimum lot size requirements raise housing prices and contribute to sprawl, and towns with the highest lot size requirements are wealthier and whiter than the state as a whole.
