HB 6107 - NYU Furman Center

State Land Use Enacted Legislation

Bill #	State	Year	Party	Topic
HB 6107	CT	2021	D	Accessory dwelling units regulations, Affordable housing incentives and financing, Allow ADUs where single-family homes are permitted, Building code reform, By-right zoning, Deadlines, Density Increases, Development Fees, Encouraging duplex, triplex, fourplexes and townhomes, Limit local requirements on ADU occupants, Manufactured Housing, Minimum parking requirements, Planning Requirements, Streamline application, Technical assistance, Third-party review

Provided by Furman

Summary

Revises definitions of housing-related terms used in zoning and land-use law.
Authorizes municipalities to charge application fees to recover reasonable costs associated with zoning and planning reviews.
Requires zoning regulations to protect historic, tribal, cultural, and environmental resources; consider impacts on neighboring municipalities and planning regions; address disparities in housing access and opportunity; promote efficient application review; and affirmatively further fair housing.
Allows zoning regulations that pursue environmental protection and sustainability goals.
Prohibits zoning regulations from imposing standards on federally compliant manufactured homes or manufactured home parks that differ substantially from those applied to single-family or multifamily housing.
Prohibits zoning regulations from establishing minimum dwelling unit sizes exceeding applicable building or housing codes.
Prohibits fixed numerical or percentage caps on multifamily housing (over four units), middle housing, or mixed-use development within a municipality.
Limits parking requirements to no more than one space for studio or one-bedroom units and no more than two spaces for units with two or more bedrooms, unless a municipality formally opts out.
Prohibits denial of land-use applications based on neighborhood character unless defined by clear, objective physical standards, or based on an applicant’s or occupant’s immutable characteristics or source or level of income.
Requires zoning regulations to allow accessory apartments by designating eligible locations and permitting at least one accessory apartment as of right on any lot with a single-family home, without requiring affordability restrictions.
Allows accessory apartments to be internal, attached, or detached on the same lot as the principal dwelling.
Requires accessory apartment size limits to be at least 30 percent of the principal dwelling’s floor area or 1,000 square feet, whichever is less, while allowing municipalities to permit larger units.
Requires setback, lot size, frontage, and coverage standards for accessory apartments to be no more restrictive than those for the principal dwelling.
Limits height, landscaping, and architectural standards for accessory apartments to those applied to single-family homes.
Prohibits municipalities from requiring interior passageways, exterior entrances beyond building or fire code requirements, more than one parking space, fees in lieu of parking, familial or employment relationships between occupants, minimum age requirements, separate utility billing, or periodic permit renewals for accessory apartments.
Restricts procedural barriers that would impede approval of accessory dwelling units.
Allows municipalities to opt out of the accessory apartment requirements through a formal, supermajority public process conducted before January 1, 2023, and voids conflicting zoning provisions if a municipality neither opts out nor adopts compliant regulations.
Counts certain accessory apartments toward the share of affordable housing used to determine eligibility for exemption from affordable housing appeals.
Requires zoning enforcement officers to obtain professional certification and requires members of planning commissions, zoning commissions, and zoning boards of appeal to complete at least four hours of training, including instruction on affordable and fair housing.
Updates affordable housing plan procedures by requiring submission to a central state office for public posting, allowing joint submission with conservation and development plans, and mandating public posting of draft plans at least 35 days before hearings or information meetings.
Establishes a temporary Commission on Connecticut’s Development and Future to evaluate land use, conservation, housing affordability, and infrastructure policies and to recommend statutory changes, compliance incentives, and model regulations that expedite approvals for qualifying development.

Provided by lawmakers

Bill Title

An Act Concerning the Zoning Enabling Act, Accessory Apartments, Training for Certain Land Use Officials, Municipal Affordable Housing Plans and a Commission on Connecticut’s Development and Future.