BREAKING NEWS: Bi-Partisan Group of Wilton Officials Sign Letter Asking Gov. Lamont to Veto State Housing Bill HB 5002

On Friday, June 6, a bi-partisan group of 12 Wilton officials, including the chairs of three main boards, signed a letter asking Gov. Ned Lamont to veto HB 5002, a housing bill just passed by both houses in Connecticut’s state legislature.

The bill, HB 5002, An Act Concerning Housing and the Needs of Homeless Persons, is described on the CT General Assembly website as a bill “to lower housing costs, increase housing options and better support homeless persons.” It encompasses a wide range of topics, including zoning, transit-oriented development, parking, housing, homelessness and fair rent commissions.

The bill has ignited a significant debate over balancing the state’s housing needs with local autonomy. Supporters of the bill, largely Democratic lawmakers, say it’s a necessary step toward tackling Connecticut’s housing shortage. They argue that HB 5002 gives municipalities new tools to expand affordable housing options, cut through bureaucratic red tape, and better support residents facing housing insecurity.

Critics of HB 5002 argue that the legislation goes too far, infringing on local authority over land use and planning. They raise concerns about state-imposed requirements on towns, including mandated affordable housing goals, which they say could stretch local resources. Opponents say the bill takes a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores each town’s unique needs.

Voting in both houses was largely along party lines although some did break ranks — including Wilton’s State Rep. Savet Constantine (D-42), who voted against the measure; HB 5002 ultimately passed the House 84-67. In the Senate, it passed by a narrower margin of 20-15 and one abstention — just two more votes than those needed for it to pass. Wilton’s State Sen. Ceci Maher (D-26), whose district spans a wider area than Wilton alone, voted in favor.

As HB 5002 awaits the governor’s signature, and on Friday, the Wilton elected officials who signed the letter sent a united message in opposition to the bill:

June 6, 2025

Dear Governor Lamont,

We, the undersigned Selectmen of Wilton, as well as other elected officials,  respectfully urge you to veto HB 5002, An Act Concerning Housing and the Needs of Homeless Persons. 

While we share your commitment to addressing Connecticut’s housing challenges, this bill imposes sweeping, unfunded state mandates that undermine local governance, economic vitality, and thoughtful planning—goals we know you deeply value. 

Wilton is on the verge of adding approximately 750 units of multi-family housing,  including a TOD project. Much of this growth is occurring through the conversion of Class A office space due to declining commercial demand. These developments are moving forward despite limited sewer capacity from Norwalk and constrained funding to improve our transportation infrastructure. We have steadily added affordable units, though we are unlikely to meet the 8-30g threshold. Nearby cities, like Norwalk, include neighborhoods — Rowayton, Silvermine, West Norwalk, Cranbury — that are as sought after and in some instances, less affordable, than Wilton.  It is also worth noting that Wilton is home to the largest technology company in Connecticut. Given these realities, Wilton is already pushing the limits of what is feasible. HB 5002 would override our local planning efforts and force additional growth without regard for our infrastructure, fiscal capacity, or the thoughtful progress we are already making.

Your leadership has consistently emphasized housing solutions that strike a balance between affordability, economic growth, and local empowerment. In your 2023 remarks at the Connecticut Association of Realtors conference, you highlighted the need to attract residents by making housing accessible while preserving community character. At the 2024 CT Housing Conference, you advocated for local solutions to the housing crisis, noting that top-down approaches often fail to account for unique municipal needs.

Our specific objections to HB 5002 include:

1. Conversion of Commercial Lots to “As-of-Right” Middle Housing: The bill allows middle housing on all commercial lots with minimal local oversight, risking the repurposing of viable commercial properties that are critical for economic growth. Prioritizing housing over commercial revenue, which funds municipal budgets and requires fewer services than residential development, jeopardizes sustainable commercial growth and economic vitality.
2. Arbitrary “Fair Share” Mandates: The bill imposes statewide affordable housing goals, effectively establishing that cities and towns zone for development of their “fair share”. To build both the fair share and the market value units, total development will range from a low of 1% of existing housing stock for a large city to 324% for a small town with an unusually (and unexplainable) large fair share allocation — all without state funding for necessary impacted services like schools, roads, and other infrastructure. Fair Share doesn’t give towns any new tools or resources to support housing creation. Instead, it creates an entirely new compliance framework — on top of 8-30g, Work Live Ride. The “Fair Share” mandate, despite being rebranded, it is arbitrary and capricious, and requires towns to report to the legislature and negotiate the unrealistic housing targets that are in the legislation.
3. Elimination of Parking Requirements: HB 5002 removes off-street parking requirements for buildings under 24 units and allows developers to determine parking for larger projects near train stations. This indiscriminate policy ignores local realities and could exacerbate infrastructure strain, contrary to your focus on practical, community-driven housing solutions.
4. Linking Infrastructure Grants to Zoning Compliance: The bill ties critical state grants, like STEAP, to compliance with zoning changes, setting a dangerous precedent. Your budget proposals have prioritized infrastructure without such punitive linkages, recognizing that roads and bridges are unrelated to zoning policy and that grants should be made on the merits of the specific project proposal.
5. Unfunded Legal Costs for 8-30g Lawsuits: Towns could be forced to pay developers’ legal fees in 8-30g lawsuits, creating another unfunded mandate. This risks municipal budgets without a clear fiscal impact analysis, clashing with your commitment to fiscal responsibility.
6. Erosion of Local Planning: HB 5002 overrides local Plans of Conservation and Development. Your formation of the Connecticut Interagency Council on Homelessness reflects a collaborative, multi-faceted approach to housing challenges. This bill’s top-down mandates undermine such partnerships.

We commend your efforts to address housing needs through targeted investments, like the Brownfield Remediation Program and CT Home Funds, which empower communities. A veto of this bill reinforces your commitment to working with municipalities to craft incentivized, locally-led solutions that align with your vision of sustainable, affordable, and rational housing growth.

We respectfully request that you veto this bill and partner with us to develop housing policies that respect local governance, support economic vitality, and deliver meaningful affordability for all Connecticut residents.

Sincerely,

Toni Boucher, First Selectman and WPCA
Josh Cole, Second Selectman and WPCA
Kim Healy, Selectman and WPCA
Basam Nabulsi, Selectman and WPCA
Ross Tartell, Selectman and WPCA
Rick Tomasetti, Planning and Zoning Commission, Chairman
Ken Hoffman, Planning and Zoning Commission
Matthew Raimondi, Board of Finance, Chairman
Tim Birch, Board of Finance
Rudy Escalante, Board of Finance
Stewart Koenigsberg, Board of Finance, Vice Chair
Lori Bufano, Water Pollution Control Authority (“WPCA”)
Chris Pagliaro, Planning and Zoning Commission
Mark Ahasic, Planning and Zoning Commission

In 2019, when several similar measures regarding regionalization of school districts and local control were proposed in the state legislature, Wilton residents were at the forefront of a statewide movement to advocate against any such legislation. An organization opposing that bill called “Hands Off Our Schools” was started in Wilton, and it quickly attracted thousands of people across the state that joined in its efforts.

The legislation that year was defeated.

There has been no similar Wilton-based movement to protest this year’s HB 5002.

Editor’s note: After publication of the letter, GMW was notified that another official, P&Z member Chris Pagliaro, had joined the signatories, and his name was added to the list.

Editor’s note: The article has been updated a second time to add P&Z member Mark Ahasic, to the list of signatories, as he joined it after the original story was published.