AFFORDABLE HOUSING DRAFT - Salisbury, CT

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Committee members have visited neighboring communities in the Northwest Corner ofConnecticut to see what other towns have done to create and maintain affordable housing.Recognized experts in the field have come to speak to us. When we wondered what we as acommunity could do legally to raise money for affordable housing, we learned that a compendium ofConnecticut law that sets forth the various possibilities did not exist. Thomas Marrion of the firm ofHinckleyAllenSnyder LLP in Hartford, who has served as our Town Attorney, arranged for lawyers inthe firm to put together the compendium. This was done on a pro bono basis and has since beenmade available to other Connecticut communities for their use.We met with or had as members of our Committee representatives of the Salisbury Housing Trust,the Salisbury Housing Committee, and Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Connecticut. We admiretheir efforts on behalf of affordable housing in Salisbury and hope that our recommendations willfurther their efforts.The subcommittees studied their respective subjects and brought to the full committee theirfindings, which then became the subject of discussion and, frequently, modification before aconsensus was formed. Our recommendations, therefore, are offered to the selectmen asrecommendations of the entire committee, not just of the subcommittees.By far the greatest obstacle to the creation of affordable housing, an obstacle that does not fitconveniently into one of the categories listed above, is convincing Salisbury’s citizens of the needswe have identified. This includes convincing those who will have affordable units proposed in theirown back yard that satisfying such needs will not be detrimental to their neighborhoods. Toparaphrase Winston Churchill: never have so many spoken so favorably and done so little. Time aftertime we have declared that we are in favor of affordable housing and have listed it high on ourpriorities. Time after time we have resisted efforts to build it.The following is an executive summary of our findings about the need for affordable housing inSalisbury and our recommendations on how to meet these needs.6
Executive SummaryA. FindingsSalisbury is becoming an upscale, retirement community characterized by:• The 8 th least affordable housing prices in the State;• An exodus of young adults and young families;• Declining school enrollments;• The oldest median age of any town in Connecticut;• The 2 nd highest percentage of “seasonal homes” in NW CT; and• Aging work forces at local businesses.This evolution threatens the Town’s diversity and volunteer services. If young adults and familiesare unable to find adequate housing, they will move to areas that provide it, thereby reducing thediversity of our population. Eventually, the exodus of our younger neighbors will impact the vitalityof our volunteer services, especially the Lakeville Hose Company and the Salisbury VolunteerAmbulance Service, necessitating paid staff, the cost of which will increase our taxes and makeSalisbury even less affordable.This “vicious cycle” is not inevitable, but positive and dramatic steps must be taken if Salisbury isto avoid the likely conclusion of these trends. The Town must re-establish a “virtuous cycle” of astable community in which there is an adequate supply of housing of different types, such as singlefamily,rentals, and condominiums, at different price levels that citizens can move through overtheir lives.The first section of this report, “The Need for Affordable Housing,” details our findings about theextent of the need for affordable housing in Salisbury, the number and types of housing unitsneeded, and the likely consequences if present trends are allowed to continue unabated. We hopethat all citizens of Salisbury will at least read this section.The second section, “Location and Infrastructure,” describes the factors we believe the Townshould consider as it locates, builds, converts, and designs the needed housing.The third section, “Regulations,” focuses on short-term zoning change recommendations, whichwe believe can be implemented immediately (Phase One), and those that will require deliberation inthe context of our Town planning (Phase Two).7
Page 1 and 2: Preserving Salisbury’s Vitality:H
Page 3 and 4: Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION 4EXEC
Page 5: and retired business executives, te
Page 9 and 10: • Favor attached, multi-unit hous
Page 11 and 12: • Provide financing for the Salis
Page 13 and 14: People tend to have widely differin
Page 15 and 16: with incomes below $60,000. As a mo
Page 17 and 18: percent live outside Connecticut an
Page 19 and 20: number is achieved, the annual turn
Page 21 and 22: areas was increasing to the point w
Page 23 and 24: setbacks, and building envelopes th
Page 25 and 26: These two factors - diversity and c
Page 27 and 28: Exhibit 1: Index of Frequently Aske
Page 29 and 30: The Committee’s Work and Recommen
Page 31 and 32: Town houses, including row and cour
Page 33 and 34: Exhibit 2: Matrix of Incomes, Housi
Page 35 and 36: However, the likelihood of finding
Page 37 and 38: The Salisbury Tax Assessor’s offi
Page 39 and 40: 3. Modify the existing Bed and Brea
Page 41 and 42: • Because private citizens, devel
Page 43 and 44: Exhibit 3: Draft Ordinance to Estab
Page 45 and 46: Exhibit 4: Draft Ordinance to Estab
Page 47 and 48: IV. FinanceThe Affordable Housing A
Page 49 and 50: about what housing its neighbors ne
Page 51 and 52: That the Salisbury Affordable Housi
Page 53 and 54: District play in ensuring the Town
Page 55 and 56: 2. Q: What is the evidence that Sal
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older will almost triple from 751 i
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Employer interviews. The authors of
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details, please see the answer to Q
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would be a cop-out to link the shor
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of the school budget is provided fr
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Starter (age 20-29) - 30 units spli
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assessment, than privately construc
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expanded exponentially. In fact, th
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Appendix III: Sustainable Design Gu
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Some other strategies that should b
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Appendix V: Proposed Phase One Amen
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transient visitors. This amendment
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not a Special Permit application (a
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designed to appear more like an acc
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c. Revise subsection 718.3 to read:
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Appendix VI: Cornwall, Connecticut
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- Where the dwelling(s) are located
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Appendix VIII: State and Federal Re
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Small TownEconomicAssistance Progra
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• single-room-occupancy• multif
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Appendix IX: Statutory Sources of A
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I. GENERAL MUNICIPAL POWERSA. Conne
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A. Connecticut Statutory Provisions
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special exception or subdivision pl
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III. TAX:ABATEMENTS, DEFERRALS AND
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eighty per cent of the area median
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• CGS Section 12-124 - “Allows
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V. MISCELLANEOUSA. Impact (Linkage)
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AFFORDABLE HOUSING DRAFT - Salisbury, CT

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