AFFORDABLE HOUSING DRAFT - Salisbury, CT

safety considerations. 12 In the Northwest Corner, developers have used the Appeals Act in Sharon andWashington. Such actions could present significant challenges to a community that desires topreserve local appearances and quality of life.* * * * *For more than a decade, in various planning meetings and documents, Salisbury's citizens havesaid that the Town's top two priorities should be retaining its rural character and providing moreaffordable housing. The question then arises, does providing affordable housing or failing to doso affect the character, culture, and tradition of a New England town like Salisbury? It would appearthat the answer is an emphatic yes. Over the years several distinct features have come to define theTown of Salisbury and the way its citizens views themselves, the two most important being diversityand the civic involvement of its citizens.Despite its limited size and comparatively isolated location, Salisbury has always displayedextraordinary diversity. We enjoy a varied topography of mountains and valleys, streams and lakes,bogs and pastures. Compact villages and open rural spaces alternate across the landscape. A tenminutedrive reveals an extraordinary mix of historic and modern residences. From its earliest days,Salisbury’s residents have also exhibited a marked degree of diversity. Over the years, industry,agriculture, education, mining, recreation, retailing, services, banking, the arts, and variousprofessions have powered the local economy. The current population contains a wide range of ages,employments, education levels, wealth, religions, ethnicities, experience, social backgrounds,geographic origins, tastes, and interests.Equally important in defining the Salisbury notion of community is the role played by its citizenryin virtually every aspect of local life. The governmental and social system of the first settlersrequired that virtually all participate in the oversight of the town. This pattern has continued to thepresent day. In fact, the present town as we know it could not function without the activeinvolvement and participation of its citizenry.12 To qualify under the Act, a project must be one “in which not less than thirty per cent of the dwelling units will beconveyed by deeds containing covenants or restrictions which shall require that, for at least 40 years after the initialoccupation of the proposed development, such dwelling units shall be sold or rented at, or below, prices which willpreserve the units as housing for which persons and families pay 30 per cent or less of their annual income, where suchincome is less than or equal to 80 per cent of the median income. The “median income” referred to here is the Area MedianIncome as determined annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; CGS 8-30g(a)(1).24