CT governor pushes transit-oriented housing development for future, touts transportation investments

Gov. Ned Lamont Thursday touted recent investments in both housing and transportation, hoping to entice municipalities to embrace transit-oriented development in Connecticut.

“I want to take advantage of this,” he said during a press briefing at Meriden’s rail station. “A lot of our neighboring states are losing population. Connecticut’s gaining population.”

Lawmakers this past session included $600 million in their bonding package — a pre-approval for the money to be borrowed down the line — to fund affordable housing projects.

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They also agreed to add another $150 million over the next two years to Lamont’s Time-To-Own down-payment assistance program.

Lamont said he doesn’t plan any more major housing initiatives for the upcoming session, which starts Feb. 7, instead focusing on putting into place a new housing rules for Connecticut Municipal Development Authority, or MRDA.

“I just want to let people know this is what we’re trying to do, this is what we’re building on,” he said.

That includes reluctance to accept legislation that forces towns around the state to amend their zoning to allow for more affordable housing.

Instead, Lamont pointed to Meriden as an example of a municipality embracing the rail line with transit-oriented development.

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Meriden Mayor Kevin Scarpati highlighted the economic development around the train station on State Street, including 300 new housing units and a new park that doubles as the centerpiece of a flood control plan.

“Ten years ago, all of this was just a concept,” Scarpati said.

He added a developer has recently submitted permits to redevelop other vacant or neglected buildings in the downtown area, providing both mixed-use space and mixed-income housing.

Scarpati also said the redevelopment was possible because city leaders revised their zoning regulations years ago, looking to take advantage of state and federal aid opportunities for transit-oriented development.

Other municipalities, including some along Connecticut’s rail lines, have not embraced the same view and rebuffed demands for local zoning reform. Experts across the state said repeatedly in 2023 that Connecticut has a dire need for more housing.

That, in turn, has led to some lawmakers trying to push for zoning reforms across the state to allow developers to build more homes and rental units. That has also largely failed thus far.

Lamont Thursday said Meriden’s experience shows that towns will eventually see the benefit.

“I think it’s working,” he said. “It’s not working as fast as I want it to work, but it’s working.”

He also said his administration is now focused on implementing new housing incentives for towns that work with MRDA.

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The legislature last year approved a new housing incentive program that requires municipalities to designate so-called “development districts” if they want to work with MRDA on housing. The districts have to be along rail lines or in downtown areas.

Aside from housing, Lamont also said he hoped Thursday that improvements to the Hartford line will help spur more development in municipalities serviced by the train.

Those include double-tracking to allow for safer high-speed service, the purchase of 60 new rail cars and new stations in Windsor Locks and Enfield. The Windsor Locks station is slated to open in 2025, with the Enfield station expected the year after.

Those improvements come as the state is cutting service and raising fees for Metro-North. Lamont said those come in response to a drop in ridership, and the reduced service are targeted for periods with the biggest reductions.

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“Thank God it’s Friday has a whole new meaning: a lot less people on the rail on Fridays,” he said.

Department of Transportation Chief Ben Limmer said the Hartford Line, by contrast, set new ridership records in each of the prior two months, with figures now surpassing pre-pandemic levels.