HARTFORD, CT — Governor Ned Lamont vetoed a controversial bill allowing housing to be built in commercial zones “as of right” to increase affordable housing and address a shortage in the state. Monroe’s state delegation, who had criticized the bill as a “one size fits all” solution that takes away local zoning control, hailed Lamont’s decision on Monday.
An Act Concerning Housing and the Rights of Homeless Persons had been passed by the House and the Senate, before reaching the governor’s desk.
Monroe First Selectman Terry Rooney was among many municipal leaders across the state, who expressed concerns about the bill. He had a written a letter to Lamont urging him to veto it.
“I am extremely pleased with Governor Lamont’s decision to veto H.B. 5002,” Rooney said Monday. “It is a bill that had, as drafted, serious long term consequences for many communities, including Monroe. As I listened attentively to the governor’s speech, I was pleased to hear the willingness to work with selectmen and mayors alike to make decisions based on the visions of their respective communities.”
“It’s important for the people of Monroe to recognize the seriousness of the legislation presented in H.B. 5002 and that without the relentless concern from our State Representative Tony Scott, Senator Jason Perillo and Senator Sujata Gadar-Wilcox, this veto may not have occurred,” Rooney continued. “Monroe spoke, our legislators spoke and for now it appears the governor listened. Now let’s see what happens in special session and how this bill can be crafted to be constructive instead of destructive.”
State Rep. Tony Scott, R-Monroe, said, “I want to thank all the municipal leaders, elected town officials and concerned citizens across the state for using your voice to help convince Governor Lamont to officially veto the bad housing bill, H.B. 5002, today!”
“After spending five hours tearing apart the bill on the floor and countless media interviews going into detail of the major problems with the bill, I feel vindicated,” Scott said. “I will continue working to come up with solutions on housing issues. I encourage the governor and his team to reach out and meet with me as I have sensible solutions to edit the bill to make it more acceptable to municipalities across the state.”
“The governor’s veto today was prudent and I’m happy he did it,” said Sen. Jason Perillo, R-21st. “That said, this is hardly over. Legislative Democrats want more dense affordable housing complexes in suburban communities like ours. I have no doubt that they’ll keep pushing. I am committed to working across the aisle to create real, community-driven solutions that empower local leaders and incentivize the redevelopment of underutilized properties.”
Gadkar-Wilcox, D-22nd, acknowledged the problem the bill attempted to solve, but shared her concerns, especially over the impact on parking and traffic.
“Connecticut has a housing crisis, and we need to act to make living in our communities more affordable,” she said. “This housing bill contained many good ideas, but also had flaws. It would have significantly hampered the oversight of local planning and zoning boards and potentially caused parking and traffic problems.”
“Consequently, I voted against the bill and the governor has now vetoed it,” Gadkar-Wilcox continued. “That said, I look forward to working with my constituents and colleagues to craft legislation in the next session that addresses the unsustainable cost of housing in our communities, but avoids the pitfalls of this bill.”
Meanwhile, proponents of the bill, including Senate President Pro Tempore Martin M. Looney, D-New Haven, and Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, expressed their disappointment over Lamont’s veto in a joint statement issued Monday:
We are deeply disappointed that Governor Lamont has chosen to veto the most comprehensive effort to tackle Connecticut’s urgent housing crisis. Connecticut cannot create jobs, lower costs, and attract businesses without building more housing.
Democratic and Republican governors across the country, like Florida, Texas, California, and Montana, understand the need to cut red tape and increase housing supply. Many of those chief executives take the lead on housing initiatives because they understand how critical these measures are to the local economy.
At our State Capitol, undue weight is placed on the opinions of some municipal officials who do not think beyond the borders of their own communities, rather than on the needs of families seeking housing.
“We have collaborated with Governor Lamont on many issues, including this bill, and we look forward to a continued partnership. The Governor earnestly believes he can get municipal officials and their interest groups to agree to a strong bill. When that happens, we look forward to seeing the proposal.
We will continue to stand strong on addressing housing. The families in the state are counting on us. We will break through as we must for the future of our state.
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Having followed this issue closely. It should not be underestimated just how much effort Rep Tony Scott put in to this issue to help reach the conclusion it did. It is hard to imagine what the outcome of this legislation would have been, if not for Tony Scott’s direct involvement.
All our Towns should take note of the actions of the Super Majority Body currently in Hartford. It is clear that it is the intention of this current body to foist the issues being faced by the Cities, partially as result of their policy decisions, back on to the Towns. Balanced Government Representation is the only path forward to ensure Fair and Balanced policies that work for ALL OF CT.