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State limits parking requirements for under‑16‑unit housing; commissioners weigh conservation districts
Summary
BFJ told the commission that developments under 16 units cannot be subject to parking minimums except if located inside one of two municipal conservation and traffic mitigation districts (each can cover up to 4% of land area, 8% total); commissioners flagged this as an important lever and asked staff to analyze district placement.
Consultants told the commission that Connecticut law treats parking minimums differently for smaller developments and that local governments have limited ability to require parking for 2–9 unit proposals.
"If you have a development that's less than 16 units, the law says you cannot require any parking minimum unless you're located within a conservation and traffic mitigation district," Suzanne Goldberg said, explaining that municipalities may designate up to two such districts (each up to 4% of land area, 8% total) where parking minimums could be required for smaller developments.
Goldberg said BFJ has discussed the issue with the city’s GIS consultant and will quantify how much land would fall within potential conservation districts so the commission can prioritize locations where parking minimums are needed. Commissioners noted that outside those districts most 2–9 unit conversions in commercial areas would not be required to provide parking, which could influence where such housing locates and the desirability of carving protected areas.
