Greenwich circa 2035 — if State Democrats get their way.
Hartford Democrats are about to ram through their monstrous housing bill.
Last week, Hartford Democrats dropped a 92-page amendment to the sprawling Connecticut housing bill, HB 5002, just 24 hours before the House vote was scheduled. No one could absorb and analyze all that data that fast. When Republicans threatened a filibuster, Democrats postponed the vote until Tuesday.
There's still time to tell them you object!
Democratic State Reps. Steve Meskers and Hector Arzeno campaigned just last fall on preserving local zoning control in Greenwich — and then they climbed right on board with the Hartford power-grabbers, helping to build the monstrous housing bill.
The Greenwich Sentinel covered Reps. Meskers and Arzeno’s roles in the Hartford housing strong-arm bill:
Two sections of the final bill were originally authored by the town’s own Democratic State Representatives, Stephen Meskers and Hector Arzeno.
Section 1 mirrors HB 6946, introduced by Reps. Meskers and Arzeno, and requires local Housing Authorities to submit detailed compliance data to the state.
Section 2 adopts the language of HB 6534, also theirs, which strips the First Selectman of authority to appoint Housing Authority members.
Some of the other bad ideas lurking in HB 5002 include:
Section 10: Statewide “Fair Share” that empowers unelected bureaucrats who've never lived in Greenwich to assign housing quotas to every town in Connecticut.
Section 6: Overrules the town's right to set parking minimums for residential developments. You think there's no parking now? Wait until developers build high rises in the middle of town — and then dump all that new residential parking onto our already-crowded streets.
Section 9: Requires state-approved local housing plans in newly established “priority housing development zones." Get ready for high-rises in the heart of Cos Cob, Old Greenwich — even our waterfront districts.
Section 5(b)(11): Enshrines as-of-right approval of two- to nine-unit “middle housing” on all commercial-zoned land. Again, commercial zoning means our currently healthy, pleasant shopping and school districts, parks, shops, restaurants, and waterfront. What real estate developer could resist?
Section 19: Grants the Attorney General power to sue towns over zoning rules that he says has “discriminatory effects" — a nebulous phrase and a favorite tool of Hartford Democrats to meddle in towns that don't do their bidding.
Still other provisions allow for portable sanitation infrastructure for the homeless (Section 7) and the creation of regional stormwater and waste management roles (Section 15) — another layer of bureaucracy to oversee us and tell us how to run our town.
Homeless encampments — coming soon to Greenwich?
HB 5002 is meant to overrule what Greenwich residents choose for ourselves in favor of state and regional central planning.
You live in Greenwich because you love it here. If you care about your property value and your quality of life, contact your representatives and let them know what you think of HB 5002!
CONTACT the offices of Rep. Steve Meskers and Rep. Hector Arzeno and tell them to Leave Greenwich Alone!
