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Witnesses: HOME Act and zoning changes eased shelter siting and small infill, but resources remain limiting
Summary
Witnesses told the General & Housing Committee that the HOME Act prevented towns from zoning out shelters, allowed duplexes/quadplexes by right and increased density; they said these regulatory changes helped produce new shelters and infill projects but require capital to realize benefits.
Testimony to the General & Housing Committee on Jan. 8 credited the HOME Act and related regulatory reforms with opening the way for shelters and small-scale infill housing, but witnesses said the state must pair reform with funding to take full advantage of density changes.
Polly Major said the HOME Act "said that a town could not zone out shelters" and that the law "may allow for duplexes and quadplexes by right," enabling projects that previously faced zoning barriers. She cited new shelter construction in Hartford and Hyde Park and the first year-round shelter in Johnson as examples of sites made possible or easier by the legislation.
Why it matters: witnesses argued zoning changes alone are insufficient without accompanying capital. Major and Seelig warned that density provisions often require larger projects to be financially feasible, and that with less state funding available the ability to capitalize larger, denser projects will diminish.
Appeals and planning: witnesses advocated reforming appeals and shifting some decisions into earlier planning phases to reduce the risk of protracted litigation. Seelig urged having "our fights in the planning process" so that once a plan is adopted the project does not face years of appeals that increase cost and delay construction.
Manufactured housing: witnesses also urged a deeper look at support for manufactured-home communities. They described VHCB's emphasis on infrastructure upgrades to parks (rather than acquiring parks wholesale), citing Tri Park and Lindale Mobile Home Park as recent interventions to remove residents from flood-prone sites or upgrade underground systems.
Next steps noted: witnesses asked the committee to request VHCB input on the 57-page report about improving corrective-action timelines and to consider targeted one-time funding for shelters and catalytic projects to allow communities to take advantage of regulatory reforms.
