|
|
|
Home State is CT Mirror’s housing newsletter written by Ginny Monk, who began covering housing in 2017. She joined CT Mirror’s investigative team recently after winning the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Local Reporting. |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Good morning!
A new report found that there’s high potential for more development around public transit stations, particularly in the Naugatuck Valley region at five of the six stations along the Waterbury Branch line.
Last week, the Regional Plan Association released the second part of its Homes on Track report detailing where the state could invest more to increase housing supply and use of public transportation in Connecticut. The group released the first part of its report last year at the YIMBYtown conference in New Haven.
The first part of the report found that only about 9% of Connecticut’s land is within a half mile from a rail station or a quarter mile from a bus stop, but nearly half of the state’s households and two-thirds of jobs are within those zones. It also said that only 22% of the total statewide housing stock is in areas with enough density to sustain bus service.
The latest portion looked more specifically at towns with transit stations. Each train station got a score based on its potential for growth and whether it was in an area geared toward allowing people to walk to the station. The group used these scores to determine how much state and local investment would be needed to maximize the use of the stations.
Researchers determined that major cities had the most potential for growth with the least investment, often because they already have the needed infrastructure. They also found that stations in the Naugatuck Valley — Ansonia, Beacon Falls, Seymour, Derby–Shelton and Waterbury — had lots near train stations that made good real estate for new development.
Naugatuck was the first town in Connecticut to sign a contract to work with the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority. The agency was created in 2019 and funded in 2024 to help towns plan and zone for more development near public transportation.
This type of growth, typically referred to as transit-oriented development, has been a focus of the legislature and Gov. Ned Lamont’s administration over the past couple of years. The housing bill passed during a special session last year included measures to encourage transit-oriented development statewide.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hello, Neighbor
Sharing what we love about the state we call home. |
|
|
 |
|
Photo: John Moritz/CT Mirror
I’ve recently moved from my beloved neighborhood in New Haven to a place in Canton, so I wanted to take this week to tell you a bit about what I love about my new town. It’s very walkable – there’s easy access to the downtown area – and the Sunday farmer’s market is lovely. I also love the nearby Canton Creamery. It’s the sort of place with a small town feel where you know your neighbors, but have plenty of access to local businesses.
Tell us what you love about the place you live by replying to this email or reaching out to gmonk@ctmirror.org. |
|
|
|
What I'm Reading |
|
If you have any reading recommendations on housing policy, let me know! |
|
|
|
|
|
I’m reading more about the Millers River public housing complex after seeing an exhibit on what it takes to create truly public housing and some of the paradoxes in funding public housing at the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago.
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the News |
|
A roundup of state and national housing news. |
|
|
|
|
-
CT Mirror covered a press conference with a tenant union group at which Gov. Ned Lamont pledged eviction reform.
-
CT Insider took a look at the state’s homeownership data and found that Connecticut residents in their mid-40s to mid-60s own a larger percentage of homes than their age group does nationally.
-
The Hartford Courant reported on the rejection of a proposal to build more housing in Simsbury, where residents have said they feared increased traffic and changes to the town.
-
Stateline explained how the new federal housing law will offer more grant funding flexibility to towns and states looking to build housing.
-
The New York Times wrote about how school districts across the country are offering subsidized housing to teachers to ensure they can live in the communities where they work.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you for reading Home State
Forward this week's issue to a friend here.
Did you get this from a friend? Sign up to receive it weekly here!
To unsubscribe from Home State, click here. To update your newsletter preferences, click here.
Connecticut News Project, Inc., 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105, United States |
|
|
