East Haven has enacted a four-month moratorium on multifamily housing applications, giving Planning and Zoning officials time to review and rewrite regulations related to affordability.
The move follows the March 2023 approval of the town’s 2022-2027 Housing Plan that outlines goals encouraging affordable housing for families and individuals.
Town officials said the anticipated 2020 U.S. Census data that will be used for calculating the 2023 Affordable Housing Appeals List will show an increase in the total number of housing units for East Haven, “and the percentage of affordable housing in town will likely decrease as a result.”
The commission has recently approved a 378-unit, age-restricted development called The Bluffs, and received applications for a Mariner’s Point development containing 72 units and another 69-unit housing plan. The board also received a request for an extension of a prior approval of Tivoli Gardens, a 77-unit development.
Planning and Zoning Administrator Joe Budrow said the moratorium gives the commission time to write a zoning regulation that would likely require a certain percentage of affordable units within any new multi-unit development application.
East Haven currently has about 8.7% of its housing deemed affordable, compared to the state goal of 10%.
The applications already received will not be subject to the moratorium; rather it prevents the commission from accepting any new applications until Oct. 30.
