Charlie Gardner
@charlescgardner.bsky.social
Lawyer with a fascination for cities. Now researching zoning law and land use with the Mercatus Center. "OldUrbanist" forever.
The fiscal analysis says the state impact is "none" for condemning around a million dollars' worth of development rights without compensation. I guess they assume municipal corporations cannot file takings claims against the state?
June 5, 2025 at 12:27 PM
The fiscal analysis says the state impact is "none" for condemning around a million dollars' worth of development rights without compensation. I guess they assume municipal corporations cannot file takings claims against the state?
Newtown's state reps introduced a bill, which has passed both chambers and is with Lamont, to override Newtown's local zoning and mandate that this property (where the senior housing was proposed) be left vacant or else the state will seize it without compensation.
June 4, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Newtown's state reps introduced a bill, which has passed both chambers and is with Lamont, to override Newtown's local zoning and mandate that this property (where the senior housing was proposed) be left vacant or else the state will seize it without compensation.
This one tops it I think? The reform worked, Bridgeport saw badly-needed residential investment, and the reaction is "we don't want that to ever happen again."
June 4, 2025 at 1:53 PM
This one tops it I think? The reform worked, Bridgeport saw badly-needed residential investment, and the reaction is "we don't want that to ever happen again."
Amazing to see this, and crucially it also addresses lot width (frontages). The lot size provision says no mandates of greater than 3k square feet, but if the width and depth provisions are to be read conjunctively, the largest dimensions a locality could mandate would be 30'x 75', or 2,250 sq. ft.
June 1, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Amazing to see this, and crucially it also addresses lot width (frontages). The lot size provision says no mandates of greater than 3k square feet, but if the width and depth provisions are to be read conjunctively, the largest dimensions a locality could mandate would be 30'x 75', or 2,250 sq. ft.
The bill also overhauls the century-old zoning protest petition provision, an invention of the authors of the SSZEA, by increasing the objector threshold from 20% to 50% and reducing commission petition override from supermajority to simple majority.
May 31, 2025 at 3:11 PM
The bill also overhauls the century-old zoning protest petition provision, an invention of the authors of the SSZEA, by increasing the objector threshold from 20% to 50% and reducing commission petition override from supermajority to simple majority.
The bill has several market-based housing supply components, including 1) a residential in commercial component for "middle housing" (cottage clusters, townhouses and multifamily of up to six units) and 2) abolishing parking minimums for developments with less than 24 units.
May 31, 2025 at 3:11 PM
The bill has several market-based housing supply components, including 1) a residential in commercial component for "middle housing" (cottage clusters, townhouses and multifamily of up to six units) and 2) abolishing parking minimums for developments with less than 24 units.
Connecticut's wide-ranging housing bill, HB 5002, cleared the state senate 20-15 in the early morning hours after numerous amendments that would have weakened it were rejected. Four Democrats joined all 11 Republicans in opposition.
May 31, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Connecticut's wide-ranging housing bill, HB 5002, cleared the state senate 20-15 in the early morning hours after numerous amendments that would have weakened it were rejected. Four Democrats joined all 11 Republicans in opposition.
For once, if we're going to use the unhelpful term "sprawl" at all, I'd like to see it directed at this: large lots leapfrogging outwards and monopolizing a lush countryside, not a Dallas MUD built at 8 units to the acre.
April 10, 2025 at 6:20 PM
For once, if we're going to use the unhelpful term "sprawl" at all, I'd like to see it directed at this: large lots leapfrogging outwards and monopolizing a lush countryside, not a Dallas MUD built at 8 units to the acre.
This is one of the datasets I was trying to find. Connecticut is 39th out of 50 for the share of the state budget spent on education (tied with Wyoming and New Hampshire). With a few notable exceptions, it looks like state school funding correlates pretty well with housing production.
March 8, 2025 at 9:06 PM
This is one of the datasets I was trying to find. Connecticut is 39th out of 50 for the share of the state budget spent on education (tied with Wyoming and New Hampshire). With a few notable exceptions, it looks like state school funding correlates pretty well with housing production.
Connecticut's educational cost sharing has fallen in inflation-adjusted dollars since 2000. In FY 2025-26, the total is 2.4 billion, compared to North Carolina's 10.4B spending on education (below) from three years ago. Why is CT so bad at this?
March 8, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Connecticut's educational cost sharing has fallen in inflation-adjusted dollars since 2000. In FY 2025-26, the total is 2.4 billion, compared to North Carolina's 10.4B spending on education (below) from three years ago. Why is CT so bad at this?
The NIMBY grindstone in action: Greenwich, CT's zoning commission takes *three years* during an acute housing shortage to reduce a project on an existing 155-acre office park from 456 units to 309 units to 248 units and finally 198 units.
March 8, 2025 at 1:30 PM
The NIMBY grindstone in action: Greenwich, CT's zoning commission takes *three years* during an acute housing shortage to reduce a project on an existing 155-acre office park from 456 units to 309 units to 248 units and finally 198 units.
Evolution of Stamford, CT's lower Summer Street: 2012, 2017, 2021 and 2024.
January 29, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Evolution of Stamford, CT's lower Summer Street: 2012, 2017, 2021 and 2024.
The Shelton POCD (the most recent full version is from 2006) does show the whole area -- including the areas zoned R-2, R-3 and R-4 -- as "moderate density residential," which is defined vaguely as anything denser than a unit per acre.
January 21, 2025 at 4:27 AM
The Shelton POCD (the most recent full version is from 2006) does show the whole area -- including the areas zoned R-2, R-3 and R-4 -- as "moderate density residential," which is defined vaguely as anything denser than a unit per acre.
I don't know, looks all better to me! Begging realtors to be able to look back more than one year for data.
January 18, 2025 at 1:12 PM
I don't know, looks all better to me! Begging realtors to be able to look back more than one year for data.
The same property owner that sued in this instance was likely encouraged by its lawsuit against a senior housing project also adjacent to the Home Depot, which held up the project for several years until it was no longer economically feasible.
January 15, 2025 at 1:10 PM
The same property owner that sued in this instance was likely encouraged by its lawsuit against a senior housing project also adjacent to the Home Depot, which held up the project for several years until it was no longer economically feasible.
The building owner is "associated" with an entity that owns a vacant supermarket site in another part of town, which that entity is renovating and offering for lease.
January 15, 2025 at 1:10 PM
The building owner is "associated" with an entity that owns a vacant supermarket site in another part of town, which that entity is renovating and offering for lease.
The absolute state of environmental protection in Connecticut: the owner of a building occupied by a Home Depot plans to use the state wetlands law to sue over the approval of a grocery store and urgent care across the street on a site that's already fully built up.
January 15, 2025 at 1:10 PM
The absolute state of environmental protection in Connecticut: the owner of a building occupied by a Home Depot plans to use the state wetlands law to sue over the approval of a grocery store and urgent care across the street on a site that's already fully built up.
The actual substance of the lawsuit, however, seems to be quibbling over the wording in the notice on the public hearing on the rezoning. Notice provisions for zoning changes more often serve as a tripwire for lawsuits rather than a means of informing the public.
January 4, 2025 at 7:09 PM
The actual substance of the lawsuit, however, seems to be quibbling over the wording in the notice on the public hearing on the rezoning. Notice provisions for zoning changes more often serve as a tripwire for lawsuits rather than a means of informing the public.
The petition, which has been docketed by the Court of Appeals, asks the court to address the various grounds for dismissal, including lack of standing (no injury), failure to comply with the statute of limitations and failure to state a cognizable due process claim.
January 4, 2025 at 7:09 PM
The petition, which has been docketed by the Court of Appeals, asks the court to address the various grounds for dismissal, including lack of standing (no injury), failure to comply with the statute of limitations and failure to state a cognizable due process claim.
The plaintiff's brief opposing the city's motion says the quiet part out loud, incorrectly asserting that "in Euclid, the battle was over the separation of multi-family apartment housing from single-family housing," and favorably quoting Justice Sutherland's "parasite" language:
January 4, 2025 at 7:09 PM
The plaintiff's brief opposing the city's motion says the quiet part out loud, incorrectly asserting that "in Euclid, the battle was over the separation of multi-family apartment housing from single-family housing," and favorably quoting Justice Sutherland's "parasite" language:
The lower court order on the city's multi-part motion (obtained from the appellate record) seems not to have been accompanied by any memorandum of decision, so the reasoning for its denial is unknown. Why was there no opinion?
January 4, 2025 at 7:09 PM
The lower court order on the city's multi-part motion (obtained from the appellate record) seems not to have been accompanied by any memorandum of decision, so the reasoning for its denial is unknown. Why was there no opinion?
We have 8-2h! I think this came out of the 1989 Blue Ribbon commission recommendations, but not certain.
January 1, 2025 at 3:13 PM
We have 8-2h! I think this came out of the 1989 Blue Ribbon commission recommendations, but not certain.
Why are anti-downzoning laws like North Carolina's recently-amended statute or Arizona's Proposition 207 important? Because situations like the below, where multifamily zoning crumbles into dust the moment a builder proposes to use it, aren't just theoretical possibilities. They actually happen.
January 1, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Why are anti-downzoning laws like North Carolina's recently-amended statute or Arizona's Proposition 207 important? Because situations like the below, where multifamily zoning crumbles into dust the moment a builder proposes to use it, aren't just theoretical possibilities. They actually happen.
Either Hartford County or the "Capitol Region" COG (which just swallows up Tolland Co.) work just fine as regional boundaries I think. The former is 900k and the latter around 1m.
December 31, 2024 at 4:16 PM
Either Hartford County or the "Capitol Region" COG (which just swallows up Tolland Co.) work just fine as regional boundaries I think. The former is 900k and the latter around 1m.
It turned out the guy Rockwell painted had been speaking to complain about ... his taxes going up to pay for a new school!
December 29, 2024 at 7:20 PM
It turned out the guy Rockwell painted had been speaking to complain about ... his taxes going up to pay for a new school!