ZS In The News Concerning Debate Over Reforming Connecticut Zoning Laws

At the moment there is an ongoing policy debate over whether Connecticut’s traditional home-rule zoning scheme, which generally vests power in local municipalities to enact their own zoning regulations, is a cause of segregation in Connecticut. This issue is being debated in Hartford over proposed bills Senate Bill 1024 and House Bill 6611, which advocates say will create affordable housing in towns, and in Woodbridge, where a special interest group, Open Communities Alliance, has a pending application to amend Woodbridge’s zoning code to allow for multi-family housing in most of the town’s residential zones. ZS, and Timothy Herbst, represent a group of homeowners who are opposing this application on the grounds that the proposed amendment seeks to strip the town of its planning and zoning powers, which derive from Connecticut’s rich history of local civic involvement and rejecting autocratic rule. To learn more, and to read Attorney Herbst’s take on the pending debate, see:

AP News: "Connecticut's zoning laws a focus in racial equity debate"
New York Times: "A Push for Zoning Reform in Connecticut"
Vox: "A fight over housing segregation is dividing one of America’s most liberal states. Who gets to live in Connecticut?"