Norwalk housing authorities, redevelopment agency recommend reassigning tasks, share data and map brownfields to speed affordable housing work

NORWALK — The Norwalk Affordable Housing Ad Hoc Committee heard detailed feedback from the Norwalk Housing Authority and the Norwalk Redevelopment Agency on the city’s Affordable Housing Action Plan during its meeting on April 1.

Committee Chair (Committee Chair, Norwalk City Affordable Housing Ad hoc Committee) opened the meeting and invited agency staff to review items on the plan’s action matrix. Adam Bobowski, representing the Norwalk Housing Authority, identified several items he recommended the city reassign or clarify because the housing authority either lacks control, lacks capacity, or requires funding to complete them.

Bobowski said the housing authority cannot “control over the City of Norwalk's website” and therefore recommended the city — not the housing authority — publish an online table showing affordable-housing eligibility at the time of application. He suggested the authority would “participate in providing information to the city,” but that the city should host and maintain the resource so it can include eligibility rules for multiple programs and private developers’ set-asides.

Housing Coordinator Michelle (Michelle, Housing Coordinator, Norwalk City) told the committee she had consolidated action items into a live spreadsheet to track responsibilities and progress. She agreed to gather funding and program data from the housing authority and other partners so the city can present “a chart of everything, federal, state, and local dollars,” including tax abatements, even if local capital contributions are currently limited.

On annual reporting, Bobowski said it is unclear what the city would track if the city has not provided substantial operating or capital…