Glastonbury committee advances draft plan favoring deed-restricted conversions, trust fund and zoning updates

The Affordable Housing Steering Committee met Wednesday to continue drafting Glastonbury’s affordable housing plan, focusing on ways to increase deed-restricted units, expand naturally occurring affordable housing and establish a municipal housing trust fund.

The meeting’s presenter summarized prior feedback favoring rental over ownership deed restrictions and recommended standard documents—an affordability plan, fair housing marketing plan and model deed restrictions—to ensure consistent administration. "If this is an existing building, it could be utilized for housing under this type of scenario," the presenter said, urging the committee to prepare draft templates quickly so projects are not delayed by paperwork.

Committee members pressed practical questions about financing and administration. One member noted that acquiring market-rate rental properties for conversion requires substantial capital because market rents currently support higher debt service than deed-restricted rents. Town staff described three recent municipal residential acquisitions that were later used for rental assistance, and explained that purchases often occur to protect town interests adjacent to public facilities.

The committee returned repeatedly to two policy choices the presenter highlighted as central: whether to require affordability periods longer than the statutory 40-year minimum for set-aside developments, and whether to limit or recapture the private "windfall" that can accrue when deed restrictions expire. The presenter outlined possible approaches including a right of first refusal for the town at the end of the restriction period, extending restrictions to the life of the unit, or capturing a share of any capital gain into a municipal housing trust fund. "If the provision of affordable housing is a public good... why can't that windfall fall to the town?" the presenter asked.

Members generally supported elevating those topics in the plan. One committee member urged moving work on affordability term and windfall policies into higher-priority status, calling them "foundational ways of viewing affordable housing." Several members noted that proposals to capture windfall are largely untested and would require further legal and financial analysis.

The committee also recommended a comprehensive review of local zoning to implement provisions in Public Act 21-29 and to remove regulatory barriers to housing options. The presenter proposed requiring universal design features in new multifamily projects and exploring missing-middle housing types—two- to four-family buildings, cottage courts and courtyard buildings—as ways to add modest-density options that fit the town’s character.

On financing, the presenter recommended establishing a municipal housing trust fund and then investigating sustainable revenue sources. She cited two examples from other towns that levy a fee on zoning permits (sample fees mentioned were $5–$10 per $1,000 of construction value) and noted a rarely used state matching program for local housing trust funds. Committee members urged that establishing the fund and identifying funding methods be parallel tasks: "It's not enough to establish it... You have to fund it," one member said.

The meeting also covered efforts to increase creditable units without new construction: ensuring tenant-based rental assistance (Housing Choice Vouchers/Section 8) and CHFA/USDA mortgage-assisted homeownership are used in Glastonbury, plus landlord and realtor outreach so certificate holders know Glastonbury is an option. A public commenter, Pamela Lockhart, asked whether the town would apply for federal resources and whether existing apartments can be required to accept vouchers; the committee discussed landlord education and outreach rather than direct inducements that could jeopardize voucher eligibility.

Presenter and members agreed on next steps: finalize a version 1 of standard affordability documents, compile and analyze community survey results (survey to close Sunday), and aim to circulate a draft plan for broader review by Thanksgiving with an adoption target next spring. The committee also resolved to follow the town’s COVID protocol and hold meetings on Zoom while the town remains in a public-health 'red zone.'

No formal votes or motions were recorded at the meeting. The committee adjourned after scheduling follow-up work and confirming timing for the next meeting.