Key Points
- Wilton’s Planning and Zoning Commission voted to use the state median income standard when determining eligibility for affordable housing units.
- Commissioners said the change is intended to expand eligibility while improving the town’s chances of securing another four-year 8-30g moratorium.
- Residents expressed differing views during the public hearing over the potential impacts on affordability, development and community character.Â
Why It Matters: The decision is part of Wilton’s broader strategy to preserve local control over future residential development while complying with Connecticut’s affordable housing laws.
Fulfilling an objective that it set for itself in April, Wilton’s Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) voted unanimously during its Monday, Jul. 13 meeting to incorporate the state median income into the town’s zoning regulations governing affordable housing. P&Z hopes that this will help lower the cost barrier for renters while improving Wilton’s chances of qualifying for another four-year 8-30g moratorium that would preserve more control over future residential development.
The updated affordable housing requirements now specify that apartments rented as affordable housing units are available to renters whose income is “at or below 80% of the area median income for the Town of Wilton or the state median income (SMI) for the State of Connecticut, whichever is less.”
Previously, the regulation had only specified the Wilton area median income, which is currently over $24,000 higher than the state average according to federal Department of Housing and Urban Development data.
In addition to lowering the cost threshold for renters seeking to live in Wilton, P&Z is also seeking to improve the town’s chances of qualifying for a moratorium on further affordability requirements under the state’s 8-30g affordable housing statute.
Under 8-30g, if Wilton fails to set aside at least 10% of its total housing stock for below-market-rate rental, developers are entitled to sidestep local zoning regulations if they agree to designate 30% or more of a project’s units as affordable.
The pressure on the town to prevent developers from exploiting such loopholes is even greater now that state law mandates that middle housing units — small residential developments of between 2-9 units located on commercially zoned properties — are subject only to a summary review by zoning enforcement officers.
“I do believe that if we end up with affordable housing … at a lower price, that’s good for a good group of people in town, whether it’s senior citizens trying to downsize, my son or your sons and daughters trying to move to town, or schoolteachers and firemen seeking to work closer to their places of work,” Commissioner Trevor Huffard said. “I don’t see a downside to it other than it might slow development.”
P&Z Challenged to Show Data Supporting Claims
Only three Wilton residents offered comments during the public hearing. Candace Cole of Old Belden Hill Rd., who also submitted comments in writing, said she did not understand why P&Z wanted to revise the affordability requirement.
“I don’t know why you would be for it,” Cole said. “All the other towns are trying to fight this.”
She argued that adding the state median income to the affordable housing requirements would “actually degrade our town,” and believed P&Z’s claim that the change would allow more people who work in the town to live there to be a weak argument.
“Most of these people don’t want to live where they work,” Cole said. “Secondly, they don’t want to rent forever, so it’d be very temporary until they can afford a house.”
Cole also said that the commission never seems to reject an application, whether “foolish or not,” and challenged it to make explicit the criteria by which it decides to approve or deny an application.
Patricia Frisch of Ridgefield Rd. said she supported the decision.
“I think it’s important to the town for reasons that are multitudinous — that we have a diverse community that serves everybody, and that people who work here don’t have to travel for a long distance in order to live here if they choose to,” Frisch said. “I don’t think it diminishes the value of the rest of our real estate or community. I think it enhances it.”
Wilton resident and architect Barbara Geddis said that while she wasn’t opposed to adding the state median income to the regulation, she agreed with Cole that P&Z hasn’t presented “the mathematics of what it means for our affordable housing population.”
“I’m really not complaining about the concept, I’m just complaining about railroading through some language I don’t like and some messy stuff for something that I think is probably a good thing,” Geddis said. “I’m just a little worried about the rush to judgment.”
Geddis added that since future residential development in Wilton will likely be slowed by the town reaching 99% of its calculated sewer capacity allocation from Norwalk, the inclusion of the state median income is “kind of like a Pyrrhic victory.”
“Increasing Economic Diversity Has Effects Beyond Just the Economy”
Responding to the public comments, P&Z Chair Ken Hoffman said that while he was not aware of any studies showing a specific correlation between changes to affordable housing limits and an increase in the number of affordable units, the inclusion of the state median is a prerequisite for demonstrating the town’s progress toward obtaining an 8-30g moratorium.
Glossary
Affordable Housing: Housing that is legally restricted to households below certain income limits and priced according to CT affordability requirements. Households can earn no more than 80% of the area median income, and units can cost no more than 30% of the qualifying household’s income.
Median-Income Housing: A term proposed by Planning and Zoning Commission Chair Ken Hoffman as an alternative to “affordable housing” to describe below-market-rate housing with less negative connotations. Commissioners sometimes use the term interchangeably with “affordable housing.”
Area Median Income (AMI): The median income for the Bridgeport–Stamford–Danbury metropolitan area, which includes Wilton.
State Median Income (SMI): The median income for Connecticut as a whole. Because it’s generally lower than Wilton’s regional median income, using SMI can make more households eligible for below-market-rate housing.
Measure FY2025 Wilton/Regional HUD Median Family Income $148,900 Connecticut State HUD Median Family Income $124,600
Hoffman said he believed adding the state median income would actually make it more costly for developers to build residential projects in Wilton, at least until the town has a housing authority in place to subsidize the construction of affordable units.
Hoffman also took exception to the claims that P&Z tends to “railroad” applications through or that it never rejects an application.
“I would love to see some research that proves any of that,” he said.
During their deliberations, the other commissioners in attendance agreed that including the state median income would benefit the town by encouraging more people to move in and help the town retain control of its planning by reaching the 8-30g moratorium.
“Increasing economic diversity has effects beyond just the economy,” Commissioner Jill Duncan said. “We could all benefit from a more diverse [community].”
Commissioner Colin Christ agreed with Duncan, adding that he believed the establishment of a housing authority to provide developers with subsidies to help offset the loss of revenue from renting at below market rates was “the missing link” for ensuring successful outcomes.
“I do think that we could use a lot of diversity in Fairfield County,” Christ said.
