FAIRFIELD— The state Department of Housing has issued the town of Fairfield a long-awaited moratorium of applicability under Section 8-30g of state general statutes. The action means the town has received a certificate of affordable housing project completion that gives it more control over approval of such projects for the next four years.
“During the upcoming moratorium, Fairfield can leverage greater control over the size and design of developments,” said First Selectman Bill Gerber. “We have been making steady progress in increasing our affordable housing inventory, mostly by increasing the number of units that are deed restricted. Our goal is to continue to diversity Fairfield’s housing stock as we recognize the need for more housing choices for Fairfield’s residents.”
The moratorium, which went into effect on April 1, was issued after Gerber’s administration applied for it on Dec. 18, 2024. The application required proof that at least 2% of Fairfield’s 21,982 housing units, as reported in the 2020 Census, be documented as affordable housing unit equivalents.
Town Director of Community & Economic Development Mark Barnhart said the town submitted an application that spanned some 600 pages and included documentation for about two dozen affordable housing projects.
“Today’s announcement has been a long time in coming and is the culmination of many years of work,” Barnhart said. “While the moratorium represents a significant milestone, we know that it is only temporary, and that our work continues.”
He added that since the town has a number of projects already already in the pipeline that will allow the administration to continue making progress on meeting housing needs and qualify for a subsequent moratorium.
In the last decade, the town has:
- Adopted an inclusionary zoning regulation that requires all developments resulting in 10 or more dwelling units to set aside not less than 10% of those units as affordable to persons or households with incomes at or below 80% of the area median income.
- Established a dedicated Housing Trust Fund, which the Affordable Housing Committee has used to purchase property and make it available for new affordable housing developments
enacted an inclusionary zoning fee of 0.005% on all new construction and building additions that don’t otherwise contribute to the Town’s affordable housing supply.
- Passed new zoning regulations making it easier to create accessory dwelling units in all residential districts but the Beach District.
The town has the following housing projects that include affordable housing units, according to the first selectman’s office:
Under consideration
4480 Black Rock Turnpike (96 units)
168 Kings Drive (10 units)
441 Post Road (478 units) only if their mixed-use project (Circle Diner, 110-bed hotel, 250 units) is not approved and/or also not appealed.
2179, 2199 Post and 29 Fairfield Place (60 units) only if their mixed-use project (40 units with ground floor 9,400 SF commercial) is not approved and/or also not appealed.
108 Biro St. (100 Units)
812, 820 Reef Road and Forest Avenue (45 units)
430 & 452 Stillson Road (68 units)
1477 Congress St, (39 units)
105 Biro St. (40 units)
4221 Black Rock Turnpike (204 units)
Under construction
131 Beach Road (40 units)
140 Bronson Road (91 Units)
Recently completed
5454 Park Avenue (100 units)
Approved/not yet under construction
980 High Street (40 units)
Under appeal
15 Unquowa (63 units)
Berkeley Road (40 units)
Fairfield’s most recent Affordable Housing Plan calls for the Town to explore ways to create “middle housing,” or multi-family developments built on a more modest scale, such as duplexes or triplexes, instead of multi-story apartment buildings.
The Town’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity will add more middle housing with two new elevated duplexes at 385 Quincy and 402 Quincy St. This will be the second Habitat project in Fairfield. The first is located at 244 Greenfield St. and is expected to be ready for occupancy in June 2025.
Barnhart noted that a number of pending development applications are considered “grandfathered,” and must be considered by Town Plan and Zoning, as they were submitted before the moratorium took effect.
The town has ten pending applications filed under the State’s Affordable Housing Act. Should any of these applications be constructed, 30% of all units would be deed-restricted and available to income-eligible households.
Since the 8-30g statute became law, Fairfield’s Plan & Zoning Commission has considered and rendered judgement on 26-six set aside development projects, half of which have occurred in the last four years, according to the town’s website. Of the 26 applications considered, the commission approved seventeen projects either outright or with conditions.
