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New Milford council adopts resolutions opposing three pending state housing bills
Summary
The Borough of New Milford council voted June 29 to adopt resolutions opposing three pending state bills — SB 1836, SB 1766/AB 3535 and SB 2680 — saying they would override local zoning and risk overdevelopment; the resolutions passed by roll call.
The Borough of New Milford Mayor and Council on June 29 adopted resolutions opposing three pending state measures that would alter local control over housing and redevelopment.
The council voted to oppose Senate Bill 1836, described in the meeting as the "Yes in God's Backyard Act," which the speaker said would "permit nonprofits and religious institutions to develop 40 to 80 units of housing on their property despite local zoning and planning restrictions." The speaker urged rejection, saying, "This is another example of a cookie cutter legislation that is going to do nothing. It's not going to solve affordable housing. What it's going to do is it's going to create overdevelopment and create 15 other problems for us." (Mayor Petrino)
Council members also adopted resolutions opposing Senate Bill 1766 and Assembly Bill 3535, described in the meeting as measures that would allow conversion of corporate office buildings, strip malls and shopping centers to high-density multifamily mixed‑use projects and would deem such areas automatically eligible as redevelopment zones. The council member leading the discussion said the legislation would override local limits on building height, setbacks and impervious coverage.
A third adopted resolution opposed Senate Bill 2680, which was described as authorizing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in single-family and two-family residential zones without local zoning compliance. The speaker noted the bill would require municipal housing elements to promote ADU creation as affordable rentals and flagged concerns about local control, safety features (such as sprinkler requirements) and infrastructure impacts.
Each resolution was moved, seconded and approved by roll call. The meeting record shows votes in favor by the council members recorded during the roll calls for the measures.
What happens next: The resolutions are nonbinding expressions of the council's position; they do not change local regulations but record the borough's formal opposition as the bills move through the state legislative process.
The council then moved into closed session later in the meeting; no additional formal action on these resolutions was recorded in closed session.
