Connecticut administration pitches 'Priority Housing Development Zones' to speed multifamily construction

Patrick Hulan, policy director for Governor Ned Lamont, told the Housing Committee the administration’s proposal — Senate Bill 1252 — would create an optional tool for municipalities to accelerate housing production while preserving a role for local government. Hulan told the committee the state faces a large housing supply gap and the proposed priority housing development zones (PHDZs) would allow municipalities to rezone a portion of developable land to allow multifamily housing as of right and remove discretionary approvals such as special permits. In exchange, towns that opt into the program would receive a modest reduction in the number of housing unit-equivalent points needed to qualify for a four-year moratorium under Connecticut’s affordable housing appeals statute, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 8-30g. The governor’s office framed the measure as an incentive, not a mandate. Hulan said the administration designed the bill to lower risk and cost for private developers while giving municipalities “a simple and predictable” framework to retain control over the development process. He described the measure as complementary to existing tools — such as the Municipal Redevelopment Authority — and said details such as the minimum density to be rezoned are open to negotiation in the committee. Committee members asked how the PHDZs would interact with transit-oriented development and whether the zoning could overlap other targeted areas. Hulan said overlap is possible and that the bill’s incentives differ from MRDA financial subsidies, instead relying primarily on shifting the 8-30g moratorium threshold as a political incentive. What it means for towns: participation is optional but could be attractive to municipalities close to an 8-30g moratorium by providing a structured way to add multifamily housing that reduces developer risk. The administration emphasized that the numerical thresholds in the bill are negotiable and staff welcomed municipal feedback. Additional context: Hulan and the committee stressed the bill is intended as part of a broader approach to the housing shortage and that specifics — including minimum densities, as-of-right language, and how site plan review would be handled — remain subject to committee deliberation. Looking ahead: Committee members signaled interest in continuing negotiations over density levels, inclusion of duplexes or additional housing types, and whether a PHDZ should require any units to be deed restricted or provide other affordability guarantees.