Woodbridge planners weigh state'mandated housing growth plan, timeline and tools

Town planner Mike D'Amato briefed the Woodbridge Planning & Zoning Commission on Special Act 25-1 Wednesday, laying out a timeline and the choices the town will face when the state assigns housing-growth targets.

"OPM's due date is 12/01/2026," D'Amato said, adding that councils of governments (COGs) will then have until 06/01/2027 to prepare housing-need assessments and allocations and that municipalities will have 30 days after notification to decide whether to accept the regional allocation or pursue their own plan. "Until OPM establishes their methodology and numbers, there are no definitive answers on targets," he said.

The presentation and ensuing questions made two points clear. First, the housing-growth-plan requirement replaces the town's prior "affordable housing plan," but it is broader in scope: it will address diverse housing types, accessibility, developable-land inventories, infrastructure needs and implementation steps rather than requiring immediate construction. "This plan is not going to require you to build anything," D'Amato said; it will document the town's intended policies and actions to make progress toward whatever target OPM sets.

Second, the commission heard that the state process dovetails with existing legal provisions that affect local control. D'Amato and the town attorney explained how the state's 8-30g statute interacts with the new process: reaching a 10% deed-restricted threshold effectively removes 8-30g exposure, while an alternate path exists to request a four-year moratorium if a municipality can show deed-restricted inventory has increased by an amount that meets program rules (a roughly 2% increase of dwelling units was discussed as one example, with the attorney noting statutory nuance and minimums apply).

Commissioners pressed for specifics about what counts as a "unit," how developable land will be identified and whether OPM's methodology would be adjusted for contaminated, encumbered, or otherwise unusable parcels. D'Amato recommended that the commission prepare defensible calculations and a clear methodology in advance so the town can challenge or supplement any COG-proposed allocation: "You have to actually defend where you're trying to arrive," he said.

Practical tools discussed included: using town-owned land for deed-restricted projects (through sale, ground lease or long-term nominal lease with deed restrictions), overlay or incentive zoning tied to density or height allowances, targeted rezoning of specific parcels, request-for-proposal processes to attract nonprofit developers, and revised zoning regulations to unlock financially viable projects (for example by modestly increasing allowable height or lot coverage in limited areas).

Several commissioners voiced concern about loss of local control and uncertainty in the state rollout. One commissioner asked for representatives from the Connecticut legislature to brief the commission; another suggested inviting the town's housing commission and the board that controls town land to a September meeting to explore concrete options. Chair Jeff Kennedy said he would invite the housing commission and work with staff to schedule guest speakers for the Sept. 8 meeting.

The commission did not take any formal votes on policy changes at the meeting; members agreed instead to use the intervening months to refine a local approach, assess town-owned parcels and prepare data so the town can respond to any COG allocation or pursue an alternate plan.

What happens next: OPM's methodology and numbers (due Dec. 1, 2026) will be a key trigger. The commission asked staff to return to the Sept. 8 meeting with members of the town housing commission and representatives responsible for town land to begin aligning potential regulatory and property-based tools with the new state timelines.