Connecticut reformers turn up heat on housing segregationists

Locals say changes would strip them of control, but that is the point

Stonington is one of the areas that DesegregateCT would like to rezone. (Getty)
Stonington is one of the areas that DesegregateCT would like to rezone. (Getty)

A zoning reform movement is gathering momentum in many parts of Connecticut, but faces considerable opposition, according to the New York Times.

Around 60 organizations have joined the DesegregateCT coalition, a group founded by Sara C. Bronin that seeks to dismantle state and local housing policies that have historically disadvantaged less affluent people and people of color.

DesegregateCT has pushed for denser zoning near town centers in suburban communities such as Stonington. Another group, Open Communities Alliance, has pushed for similar reforms in the town of Woodbridge.

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Some local officials and residents have opposed those and similar efforts, arguing that reforms would strip them of control over development in their communities. That is reformers’ point: Restrictive zoning that squeezes out historically disadvantaged people tends to be put in place at the local level.

Similar battles are playing out across the tri-state area.

Fourteen Republican state representatives have co-signed a bill to allow cities “to enact and enforce zoning restrictions without regional or state interference,” and some residents in some areas have hired lawyers to fight zoning reform proposals. [NYT] — Dennis Lynch