Today’s Affordable Housing Rally on Jesup Green was attended by over one hundred community members in support of Statewide solutions to the current housing crisis.

Organized by the Town of Westport Department of Human Services, Homes with Hope, and the Westport Housing Authority - the three organizations’ leaders stated that “In September, State Legislators have the opportunity to allocate significant financial resources from the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act to protect and enhance the health and safety of our most vulnerable residents.” This opportunity comes as housing insecurity is rising while safety net programs for those renting or financing their homes begin to expire, or run dry. “The call-to-action encourages state elected officials to invest in the development of new, permanent affordable housing and support services in Fairfield County by committing a substantial amount the State’s $300M American Rescue Plan Act Plan funds.”

The State housing crisis is compounded with a hot pandemic real estate market in Fairfield County, causing inventory to become drastically low - and home prices and monthly rents to soar historically high. Westport’s real estate market has continued to soar - something that Town officials have said throughout the past year intensify the need for more affordable housing options within the community.

Forward motion has been made in the past decade for a more diverse housing market in Westport, such as the new Accessory Dwelling Units brought before the public just this past March by the Planning and Zoning Commission - allowing smaller apartments to be built into current residential structures. The ADUs and other Planning and Zoning amendments align with the Town’s 2017 Plan of Conservation and Development, which stated “the demand for affordable housing in Westport outstrips the supply” and described the Plan’s focus on continuing “to seek ways to address changing housing needs while maintaining the character and integrity of Westport.” The plan also included public feedback, in which 26% of those surveyed agreed strongly that Westport “should do more to provide for housing that is more affordable to people who need it”, while 38% agreed, 8% were unsure, 20% disagreed, and 8% strongly disagreed with the notion.

The State Department of Housing’s most recent data from November 2017 described Westport as having 3.12% of homes marked as affordable, out of 10,399 homes total. Being under the 10% threshold means the Town is not exempt from Connecticut’s Section 8-30G guidelines, which allows local zoning regulations to be overridden if a developer is creating a property which contains affordable housing within it - unless a specific concern for health and safety can be found and proved as reason for denying the project.

Although Westport’s housing stock is listed at 3.12% affordable, officials have often stated that the percentage is misleading - saying in the Plan: “since the statutory definition of affordable housing units only counts certain types of units (assisted housing, financed by Connecticut Housing Finance Authority mortgages, or sale price restricted by deed), a lot of the affordable units in Westport are not counted in the State reporting of affordable housing.” Some of the affordable housing available in the community includes the Hales Court, Sasco Creek, and Canal Park communities, as well as the new apartment complexes such as the Westporter at Long Lots and Post Road East and 1177 Greens Farms on Post Road East.

One of the newest housing developments accepting affordable housing applicants is 1480 Post Road East, which was built on the property of the former Rogers Septic Tank Company. A few units nearer to Westport’s 8-30G exemption.