‘Control over our own community’: Fairfield County residents say zoning bills remove local control
Kim Healy, of Wilton, makes her voice heard at a rally at Town Hall organized by CT 169 Strong on Saturday, April 10, 2021, Fairfield, Conn.
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Before telling other towns to make their real estate more just, Mayor Elicker should get his own house in order
Yale University has posted a $203 million operating surplus for its most recent fiscal year. Meanwhile, the city is staring down a $13 million projected deficit—with dozens of job cuts in the rearview, and plenty of pandemic-induced uncertainty ahead. Those glimpses into the current state of town-gown financial discord were offered in two separate documents,…
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Former P&Z Commissioner: Let us make decisions for ourselves
To the Editor: Arriving in Connecticut 64 years ago, the first thing I learned was that it was a “home rule state” where every community regulated itself for the benefit of its citizens. Soon after, I was appointed to the New Canaan Planning and Zoning Commission. I had to face lawyers during depositions. We were…
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Connecticut’s future depends on strong cities
CT VIEWPOINTS by ALEXIS HARRISON FEBRUARY 17, 2021 “Talent and employers are looking to locate in urban centers that have the density and the activity and the culture and the arts that make them an exciting place to be,” said Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin. “Connecticut’s old model of suburban office parks and bedroom communities is…
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Letter To The Editor: Where Are Reps. Leeper And McCarthy Vahey?
Letter writer Cathy Politi would like to hear more from state Reps. Jennifer Leeper and Cristin McCarthy Vahey on several issues. To the editor, From the start of this 2021 legislative session, Fairfield County and Fairfield in particular have come under a historic attack from Legislature leaders in Hartford. The Senate Majority Leader with growing…
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CT General Assembly Housing Committee to Take Up Bills Relating to Local Control, Planning & Zoning, and Housing at Feb 18 Hearing
By: GREENWICHFREEPRESS Several bills relating to local control, planning and zoning, and housing are up for hearing Thursday, February 18 beginning at 11:00am in the Housing Committee. The agenda is here: https://cga.ct.gov/2021/HSGdata/pha/pdf/2021pha00218-R001100HSG-pha.pdf The public hearing can be livestreamed via YouTube Live. In addition, the public hearing may be recorded and broadcast live on CT-N.com The bills in…
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New Canaan commissioner: Don’t force inclusionary zoning down our throats
Grace Duffield / Hearst Connecticut Media NEW CANAAN — As a preemptive action against anticipated state zoning legislation, Planning and Zoning Commissioner Chairman John Goodwin unveiled a draft of zoning rules changes he desires to share with the state. His fear, along with a few of his fellow commissioners on the board, is the notion…
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Solutions from Hartford won’t help our towns
Brian Farnen Protecting home rule and local decision-making in education, zoning, and property taxes are more important than ever due to recent legislative proposals coming out of Hartford that transfer decision-making from our towns to the state. Instead of top-down, one-size-fits-all mandates that take away local control, let’s address the real problem, which includes our…
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CT Zoning Laws Proposed – What You Need To Know! SB 551 & SB 554
There is an attempt by politicians in Hartford to leverage the well-intentioned social justice movement into achieving unrelated activist policy goals (or worse, real estate market manipulation). This document explains everything one needs to know about why this bill will wreak havoc on our local communities WITHOUT actually helping low-income families. Groups like DesegregateCT seek…
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Why local zoning lurks on the CT ballot
Zoning and cancel culture are on the ballot. Activists and legislators in Hartford have plans to change how we live in our towns. They claim they have “a moment” upon which to capitalize and force the citizens to conform to their views. The moment? These racially charged months of protests and riots in parts of…
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