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Committee advances bill to increase housing near transit stations after extended debate
Summary
The Planning and Development Committee voted to send Senate Bill 1313 to the floor after extended debate about statewide mandates, local infrastructure and the bill's interaction with other transit-oriented proposals.
The Planning and Development Committee voted to refer Senate Bill 1313 (an act increasing housing development within one-half mile of public transit stations) to the floor after extended debate on March 7.
The bill drew sustained opposition from members who said statewide land-use mandates risked imposing uniform rules on Connecticut's 169 municipalities. "These bills ... impose a overall burden on every town in the same way," Representative Doug Dubitsky (Representative) said, arguing the proposals do not account for small towns without sewers, police or wide roads.
Why it matters: proponents said the measure is intended to boost housing production around transit and help some towns better comply with the state statute commonly referred to in the hearing as 8-30g; opponents warned the bill could clash with other transit-oriented bills and would have unintended consequences in small or rural communities.
Key points from the debate - Representative Dubitsky argued that a one-size-fits-all mandate would damage small towns with narrow roads, no sewers and limited municipal services, and warned of developers building without off-street parking and then forcing towns to widen and pave roads. "The developer's gonna do it and then require the town to go in and grade, widen, and pave that road," he said. - Senator Gordon and other members said they were concerned about mandating municipal action; Gordon asked that conflicts with other transit or eminent-domain provisions be watched as drafting continues. - Representative Cocker and others voiced support for measures aimed at producing affordable housing near transit to allow workers (teachers, firefighters, police) to live in the communities they serve.
Action taken - The committee voted to refer Senate Bill 1313 to the floor (motion: j/f to the floor). A roll-call vote was held; several members recorded "no" votes during the roll call. Representative Doug Dubitsky voted no in debate and Representative Zullo recorded a no vote during the roll call. The official roll-call record is part of the committee minutes.
Background and context - Several members referenced the state statute "8-30g" during arguments about affordable housing obligations and municipal compliance. Committee members also referenced a statutory change removing the word "character" from the zoning statute in 2021 to emphasize physical characteristics rather than subjective language.
Members said the committee vote advances policy language to the next stage where full bill text will be finalized and potential conflicts with other transit-oriented bills will be reviewed.
Votes and next steps - The motion to refer the bill to the floor passed on a roll-call vote. The committee kept votes open until 3 p.m. for any late changes. The finalized language will be available when the bill is filed for floor consideration.
