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CRAG updates: warehousing study posted; Windsor reports surge in apartment approvals
Summary
Staff announced a near-complete regional warehousing study and new regional housing training materials. Windsorcommissioner Meg Harvey said approvals and proposals could roughly double Windsor's apartment units over the past 18 months, most without affordable set-asides.
Kyle reported the regional warehousing study, produced with consultant WSP, is nearly complete and posted on Crag's website. The report includes market analysis and on-the-ground traffic data from existing warehouses; staff said the study highlights where warehousing demand may cluster in the I-84 corridor and surrounding towns and includes best-practice zoning and traffic-impact considerations.
Heidi said the regional housing strategy team published a detailed data-analysis report and will produce four training videos over the summer on land-use fundamentals, small- and large-scale affordable housing (including AMI and 8-30G mechanics), and one additional topic. Caitlyn introduced Essen as Crag's new principal housing planner; Essen said municipal staff will receive more information about the housing growth planning process at a future meeting and was available to field questions on sections 4— of Special Session Public Act 25-1.
Local trend: Meg Harvey (Windsor) told commissioners her town has approved about 900 new apartment units in the last 18 months and has roughly 300 proposed, a level of approvals that could roughly double Windsor's apartment stock in that period. "We're on track to double the number of apartments," she said, noting many recent approvals are commercial-to-residential conversions and that most do not include units that count toward the town's 10% affordable-housing metric.
Panelists and commissioners discussed public concerns voiced at hearings: opposition often centers on potential impacts to schools, traffic, and infrastructure rather than a blanket opposition to affordable housing. Staff said the regional housing analysis and forthcoming fact sheets aim to provide commissioners with data to answer common public questions about school impacts and demographic effects.
No major votes were taken. At the meeting's close, a motion to adjourn was made, seconded and carried by voice vote.
