Share Your Input- Housing Affordability Plan- Public Hearing

The State of CT requires all Towns to have a plan in place to address affordable housing by June of 2022. The plan is required to specify how the municipality intends to increase the number of affordable housing options in the municipality. Thanks to a grant we received, the Town has developed a final draft of a Plan that will act as a guide for future actions to improve housing affordability in the community. The plan’s recommendations address not only income-restricted affordable housing developments, but local housing affordability in general.

It is widely recognized that the United States is facing an affordable housing challenge that impacts many aspects of daily life. In Stonington, 41% of renters and 29% of homeowners are spending more than 30% of their income on housing. As rents continue to increase drastically across the U.S., this plan is needed more than ever. 

This is a challenge that needs an array of creative tools to solve, which the new draft of the Affordability Plan outlines with potential options. In order to create the best possible Plan for Stonington, input is needed from a diverse range of perspectives from members of the community.

We invite all members of the community to join the upcoming Planning and Zoning Public Hearing on the plan's adoption on April 5, 2022 at 7:00PM at the Board of Education Administration Building (40 Field Street, Pawcatuck). 

A key focus of the draft plan is to identify potential strategies to enhance the diversity of our housing stock. To create the best possible plan for Stonington, we need input from residents on the type of strategies they agree with, ones they see challenges with, and possible new ideas not yet brought forward. Please note, that as a policy document, 'adopting' the plan does not mean the plan's recommendations will be implemented. 

As a reminder for how we got to this point, after receiving the grant and hiring a firm to help us draft our Plan, we held two Community Conversations to get input on the drafts.

In February 2021, that process began with about 40 community members joining a virtual discussion on the current state of housing and future possibilities in Stonington.  An initial presentation on the what, why and how of affordable housing was followed by probing and insightful questions and comments from engaged participants. You can find the recording of the presentation at the following link here. 

In June 2021, we held an in-person meeting at the Velvet Mill where residents again had the opportunity to engage and offer their input on the final draft of Stonington’s Affordability Plan. During the conversation it was noted that a diverse range of housing options can help attract new, younger residents, provide an opportunity for retirees to remain in the community, and ensure those who work in our community also have the option to live there. 

A common objective came through, which is that our community should offer an opportunity to persons of all income levels to enjoy and benefit from what the Town of Stonington has to offer. It was also noted that many residents want to be sure any changes are done in a way that meet the needs of existing residents. The plan addressed concerns raised related to the possible increased cost of additional school-aged children. In the report findings were shared related to local school district enrollments. Statewide they have been declining for over a decade, including in Stonington, which declined by 25%. Only 17.4% of total households in Stonington have children under age 18. These changes in household structure result from both an aging population and social-cultural trends, which helps explain why Stonington’s school district enrollments have declined substantially.

Everyone is encouraged to share questions or feedback ahead of the Public Hearing to help the Planning Department make sure all topics of interested are covered in the presentation. Please email DOP@Stonington-CT.Gov.

The draft plan can be found online here. 

We hope many of you will come to the Public Hearing on April 5, 2022 to engage in this process.