Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Parking Inclusionary topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee weighs POCD parking reforms, state rule HB 8002, and tougher inclusionary options
Summary
Members reviewed proposed POCD-driven parking and commercial-district regulations, discussed HB 8002’s impact on parking minimums, and debated lowering inclusionary thresholds from 10 to 5 units and raising affordable set‑aside percentages or fees.
Fairfield’s Affordable Housing Committee reviewed proposed POCD-related zoning changes and debated how the town should respond to draft parking reforms and inclusionary zoning options. Staff emphasized Planning & Zoning’s focus on parking flexibility and mixed‑use center design; committee members discussed shared parking, parking caps tied to building size, and the need for market-based parking assessments.
"The parking requirements have to be acted on by July 1," a committee member said, citing HB 8002 and explaining that the state rule removes parking minimums for developments of 16 units and over. Members discussed whether the committee should send a general letter of support for the planning commission's direction or draft specific zoning text. Several members favored preparing specific recommendations before the committee’s March 11 meeting so Planning & Zoning staff could review them in advance.
On inclusionary zoning, members debated lowering the trigger from 10 units to 5 and raising the affordable requirement from 10% toward 12–15% in transit-oriented areas. One member noted the tradeoff: "If we were to require an inclusionary unit at 5, the cost to the developer to do that [is] substantially more than if we just said, you know, pay your fee." The committee discussed raising the payment-in-lieu rate incrementally (one suggestion: move to $7.50 now and aim toward $10) and stressed the need to analyze fee stacks (sewer, impact fees, permitting) before finalizing a recommendation.
The committee agreed to draft a specific set of recommendations — minimum unit threshold, percentage targets for inclusionary units (with higher targets in TOD), and options for a payment-in-lieu schedule — circulate the draft among members and planning staff in advance, and vote on the letter or ordinance language at the March 11 meeting.
