HB 8002 - NYU Furman Center

State Land Use Enacted Legislation

Bill #	State	Year	Party	Topic
HB 8002	CT	2025	D	Accessory dwelling units regulations, Affordable housing incentives and financing, Allow ADUs where single-family homes are permitted, Appeals, Building code reform, By-right zoning, Commercial land, Deadlines, Density Increases, Development Fees, Encouraging duplex, triplex, fourplexes and townhomes, Enforcement, Fair distribution of housing, Faith-based organizations, Funding, Lands near transit, Manufactured Housing, Minimum parking requirements, Non-profit owned, Planning Requirements, Pro-Housing Designation, Publicly-owned, Streamline hearings, Tax Incentives, Technical assistance, Vacant or blighted lands, Written findings, burden and standard of proof

Provided by Furman

Summary

Requires municipalities to allow “middle housing” and mixed-use developments in commercial zones by-right through a summary review process.
Establishes a framework for municipalities to opt-in as a “qualifying transit-oriented community” and “transit-oriented districts”, to access the Housing Growth Program grants, with the following key provisions :
- Mandates that qualifying transit-oriented communities allow “transit community middle housing” (residential buildings with 2–9 units, such as townhouses and duplexes) as-of-right within designated transit districts.
- Requires municipalities to allow larger developments (10 or more units) as-of-right in these districts, provided at least 30% of the units are set aside as affordable housing.
- Compels transit districts to permit the as-of-right conversion of existing commercial or residential buildings into higher-density housing types.
- Rewards municipalities designated as transit-oriented communities (or those meeting specific housing growth targets) with a 5% increase in the state reimbursement rate for school construction projects.
- Defines transit-oriented districts based on proximity to “rapid transit stations” (rail or rapid bus) and “regular bus service stations” that offer at least hourly service during peak hours
Prohibits local governments from mandating more than a minimum amount of off-street parking for residential projects with fewer than 16 units. However, towns can create two “conservation and traffic mitigation districts” which can bypass this
Mandates that manufactured homes meeting federal standards be treated the same as traditional single-family homes in zoning regulations, regardless of their size.
Mandates that every municipality develop a Housing Growth Plan (Sec. 1-3) and implement a plan to increase housing production, with non-compliance resulting in the loss of state grant eligibility.
Creates the Housing Growth Program to provide state grants for infrastructure projects, such as sewers and roads, that directly support new housing developments.
Includes reforms to voting requirements for a zone changes and protest petition
The bill makes it easier for towns to earn a moratorium from the 8-30g “builder’s remedy” by lowering the required threshold of housing stock from 2% to 1.75% (Sec. 41) if the municipality has adopted a municipal housing growth plan and related reforms as outlined in the bill.
- This incentivizes towns to zone for housing proactively to “earn” their way out of the 8-30g appeals process.
Establishes a 5% state reimbursement bonus for school construction projects in municipalities that meet housing growth targets or qualify as transit-oriented communities.
Includes tenant protections measures including a ban on Algorithmic Rent Setting, expands the requirement for towns (specifically those with populations between 15,000 and 25,000) to establish fair rent commissions to handle tenant-landlord disputes.
Also includes funding for homelessness services.