2022 Legislative Session
The CCAPA Government Relations Committee (GRC) has released its Legislative Agenda for the 2022 legislative session of the Connecticut General Assembly, began Wednesday, February 9th. After conducting a survey of CCAPA members in December, three major priorities emerged:
Approving a State Plan of Conservation & Development and re-envisioning the Plan's purpose and adoption process; Making permanent the Authorizations for Virtual Public Meetings; Allowing website notification of public notices in lieu of newspaper publication.
Additional issues are reviewed in the Agenda document. Comments and suggestions regarding legislation may be directed to CCAPA Government Relations Co-Chairs John Guszkowski and Emmeline Harrigan at CTplannersGovRel@gmail.com.
CCAPA testimony excerpts and links to testimony will be added below as the session unfolds.
Passed
HB 5271 AN ACT CONCERNING THE PROVISION OF OUTDOOR FOOD AND BEVERAGE SERVICES AND OUTDOOR DISPLAYS OF GOODS.
CCAPA hopes that the additional time granted by this extension provides local communities with the adequate time to evaluate and revise their own local zoning regulations to adopt the expansion of permanent outdoor dining provisions.
Proposed
HB 5165 AN ACT CONCERNING THE STATE PLAN OF CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT.
CCAPA strongly urges that OPM, in conjunction with the work of the Commission on Development & Connecticut’s Future, redouble its efforts to produce a fully re-imagined approach to the State Conservation & Development Policies Plan that thoughtfully incorporates the elements mentioned above and includes an inclusive stakeholder engagement process.
Passed by House 3/16
HB 5269 AN ACT CONCERNING REMOTE MEETINGS UNDER THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.
CCAPA's membership has found nearly universal increases in public engagement and participation in virtual public meetings (as compared to in-person meetings) because of the ability to participate from home or work and still manage elements like child care that were frequently a barrier to civic participation. Allowing for virtual meetings as an option, not a mandate, on a permanent basis, is a welcome proposal. 3/2/22 Testimony
House passed 4/13.
Raised HB 5204 AN ACT CONCERNING A NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND FAIR SHARE PLANS FOR MUNICIPALITIES TO INCREASE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
CCAPA supports this bill, which would begin a process by which municipalities will be required to develop and adopt a plan to provide for that municipality’s “fair share” of affordable housing. The “fair share” is a number to be determined by a thoughtful, deliberative study undertaken jointly by OPM and Department of Housing that will consider numerous factors about developability and opportunity in each municipality. Whereas the current Affordable Housing Plan requirements of CGS §8-30j requires a plan every five years, there are no stated numerical benchmarks for communities and no enforcement mechanism....Unlike other zoning mandates, the fair share approach does not specify a certain size, type, or location of these housing units, but instead leaves the path toward achieving the fair share goal up to the specific abilities and preferences of the municipality. JF 3/15.
Proposed Bill No. 5358– AN ACT CONCERNING CERTIFICATES OF APPROVAL FOR THE LOCATION OF MOTOR VEHICLE DEALERSHIPS AND REPAIR SHOPS. Public hearing 3/09 no further action.
CCAPA strongly supports this Proposed Bill and has advocated for a modification to CGS §14-54 for several years.
Proposed Bill No. 5359– AN ACT REQUIRING A STUDY OF THE FEASIBILITY OF PERMITTING THE ONLINE ADVERTISEMENT OF LEGAL NOTICES BY MUNICIPALITIES JFS 3/18
CCAPA is in strong support of this proposal for a study of allowing online advertisement for public notices. CCAPA has long advocated for the online option to provide municipalities with more flexibility to provide legal notice.
Proposed Bill No. 5360– AN ACT CONCERNING COASTAL SITE PLAN REVIEW. Public hearing 3/09 no further action.
CCAPA supports this Proposed Bill, as narrowly defined. CGS §22a-105 presently defines where coastal site plan reviews are required in conjunction with other permitting activities and public hearings...This slight revision eliminates unnecessary repetitive review and CCAPA supports this clarification in the statutory language.
H.B. 5429 AN ACT CONCERNING TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.
To allow for the as of right development of housing with a minimum overall gross density of fifteen dwelling units per acre located within a half-mile radius of any passenger rail or commuter rail station or any bus rapid transit station. Public hearing 3/14 no further action.
CCAPA STRONGLY supports the intent of this bill to further Transit-oriented development (TOD) in the State of Connecticut, if not all of the bill’s substantive requirements and possible inadvertent omissions. 3/14/2022 Testimony
SB 169 AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING POLICIES IN THE STATE.
Housing affordability remains a significant issue for all communities in the state of CT and finding solutions needs to be a priority for both the state and local governments with both parties participating in offering solutions to this on-going crisis. Public hearing 3/03 no further action.
Proposed Bill No. 328– AN ACT CONCERNING ALTERNATE MEMBERS OF PLANNING COMMISSIONS
CCAPA supports this Proposed Bill, as narrowly defined... In communities where the potential volunteer commissioner/board member pool is small, this may help facilitate having a full roster of commissions. In cases of potential conflict, the bill also provides a provision that these alternate members would recuse themselves when the planning commission had already considered the issue at question before one of the other boards. Public Hearing 3/9 no further action.
December 2021:
The CCAPA Government Relations Committee (GRC) is preparing for the upcoming 2022 legislative session of the Connecticut General Assembly, which will begin Wednesday, February 9th. We have been working with partner organizations including CAZEO, Partnership for Strong Communities, Connecticut Bar, and DesegregateCT to identify key issues, as well as revisiting priorities that were not addressed in the 2021 session. This will be a “short session,” convened only from early February to early May, and we must focus on a short list of high priorities.
We are seeking input from the full CCAPA membership to help us prioritize these policies. Please take this short survey and share your views on these priorities: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCAPAGRC2022.
Thank you. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Government Relations Committee at ctplannersgovrel@gmail.com
Emmeline Harrigan, AICP & John Guszkowski, AICP
CCAPA Government Relations Co-Chairs