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New Connecticut Municipal Development Authority begins work to certify housing growth zones, expects to deploy bond funds
Summary
The newly formed Connecticut Municipal Development Authority (CMDA) has 10 municipalities opted in, plans to certify housing growth zones and expects to allocate existing and proposed bond authorizations to downtown and transit-oriented development later this year.
David Kouras, executive director of the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority, briefed the Finance, Revenue and Bonding subcommittee on the authority's initial activities and expected near-term work.
Authority purpose and municipal opt-in
CMDA was created to provide technical and financial assistance to municipalities that opt in to help expand housing near downtowns or transit stations. Kouras described a voluntary process: a municipality adopts a resolution to join CMDA, the authority reviews and either certifies or recommends tweaks to local zoning, then an MOU establishes a development district for project funding.
Early takeaways and expected pipeline
Kouras said roughly 10 municipalities had already joined CMDA and about 20 others were actively considering membership. He told the subcommittee he expects districts to be certified this summer for early joiners and for project funding to begin later in the calendar year. CMDA said it expects to use its current bond authorization of $59 million and the governor's proposed additional $30 million by the end of fiscal 2027, and that the authority will likely request additional funding in FY28 and FY29 dependent on municipal demand.
CMDA's additional tools
Beyond direct funding, Kouras told members CMDA will help match municipalities with developers and will explore ways to streamline certain state permitting around neighborhood-scale development to reduce time and cost. The authority emphasized it will not supplant local land-use control; its certification and recommendations are voluntary.
Quotations
"Our statute allows us to tailor our zoning recommendations to local conditions, and our process enables us to reward municipalities who are making appropriate local decisions to support housing growth with technical support and assistance to those who want to better align their zoning with market demand and best practices," Kouras said.
Ending
CMDA said it will begin certifying growth zones this summer for municipalities that have joined, then begin reviewing project funding applications on a rolling basis; the authority emphasized it will operate as a municipal partner focused on downtown and transit-oriented housing.
