黑料吃瓜网 has the most constrained housing market in the nation, meaning there is high demand for affordable housing, but limited supply, according to data from the public policy research firm ECOnorthwest.
The firm is conducting a study of 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 housing needs. It will consider the implementation of a 鈥渇air share鈥� model for tackling the state鈥檚 housing crisis.
ECOnorthwest researchers presented an early draft of theto the state general assembly鈥檚 Housing and Planning and Development Committees Thursday.
The largest takeaway is how 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 housing stock is inadequate to meet the demand.
The national housing vacancy rate is about 11%, according to ECOnorthwest鈥檚 director of economic research Michael Wilkerson.
鈥淲hen we lined up every single state, 黑料吃瓜网 is the most constrained housing market of any state in the country, with effectively a 7% vacancy rate,鈥� Wilkerson said. 鈥淭hat's indicative of, I think, what everyone here knows and understands, which is a very challenged housing market in terms of affordability and availability of housing.鈥�
Once researchers completing the fair share study determine 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 housing needs, they will then assess the needs by region, and finally by each municipality.
The goal is to form ways to spread the creation of affordable housing equitably across the state.
Towns would be required to zone and plan for a specific number of affordable homes and apartments.
There are some factors the study doesn鈥檛 consider, Wilkerson said.
鈥淪upply, specifically new construction is an important component but it doesn鈥檛 consider other tools that can impact affordability whether that鈥檚 vouchers or preservation or other types of policy intervention,鈥� Wilkerson said.
Fairfield County and parts of Litchfield County suffer the most from housing underproduction, meaning the number of homes that should鈥檝e been added to bring supply in balance with demand, according to the study.
The fair share study is the result of a which mandated a look at how a fair share zoning model would work in 黑料吃瓜网.
The report focuses on three different methods for determining what kind of affordable housing the state needs. It also shows how fair share has been effective in other states.
State Rep. Antonio Felipe, a Democrat from Bridgeport, said the fair share study should take into account the capabilities of different communities, especially when comparing 黑料吃瓜网 to other states with fair share models such as Washington and New Jersey.
鈥淲e need to, as we go forward with this, look at the density in the other states that we鈥檙e looking at,鈥� Felipe said. 鈥淏ecause, I can think of our Fairfield County area, how small some of our cities are but we have a large population and nowhere to build anything.鈥�
With the expectation of increasing affordable housing across the state, the infrastructure capabilities of certain communities and lack of desire to live there is of concern to Republican State Rep. Doug Dubitsky, who represents several towns in New London County.
鈥淭here are towns that are growing and where the demand is there, and the infrastructure is there. And there are places that there is no demand and there is no infrastructure, people simply are not moving to those areas,鈥� Dubitsky said. 鈥淲hen we talk about fair share, we're talking about forcing additional houses to be built in places that nobody wants to live.鈥�
Determining whether an increase in affordable housing would be feasible for less populated towns is part of the future implementation process, Wilkerson said.
Researchers conducting the study are expected to deliver a final report to state lawmakers in May outlining what it would look like to implement the fair share model.
