A member of a group called The People’s Collaborative for Dixwell has submitted the following letter to the Board of Alders calling for a pause on an inclusionary zoning study.
I am writing today to express the findings and concerns from PCD (The People’s Collaborative for Dixwell) and concerned New Haven residents with the plans as crafted and to urge the Board of Alders Legislative Committee to table and/or amend the action of moving forward with the Inclusionary Zoning Study 2020 (that was conducted and complied by HR & A Analyze Advise Act out of New York) until protective measures for current residents have been further developed.
The Inclusionary Zoning Study alleged to address the affordability Housing Crisis in New Haven, but after reviewing said Study, We PCD have found instead of being Inclusive it’s actually EXCLUSIONARY to the New Haven Residents. The city is proposing that Developers only set aside 5% of their units below market rate for Affordable Housing in Dixwell and surrounding neighborhoods. This is actually 95% UNAFFORADLE HOUSING for the residents of New Haven, which to us appears exclusionary.
Then the proposal separates the city into three different TIERS at different percentages of affordability which makes no sense when we are one New Haven! Tier 1 at 15% to 8% which is listed as the Core that consist of the Downtown Area. Tier 2 at 5% affordability which is listed as the Strong that consist of the Dixwell, Dwight, East Rock, Mill, River and Long Wharf neighborhoods. Tier 3 at 5% affordability which is listed as the Remainder that consist of the Amity, Annex, Beaver Hill, East Haven, Edgewood, Fair Haven, Fair Haven Heights, Prospect Hill, Quinnipiac, West Rock, Westville and parts of the Hill, Long Wharf, Newhallville and West River neighborhoods. Again, the idea of proposed Tiers sounds exclusionary, and we do not understand why the City would propose the lowest levels of affordability in some of the only neighborhoods left that are affordable to live in. Requiring 5% is NOT enough for Dixwell and the surrounding neighborhoods. Why divide us into Tiers? The entire City needs more affordable housing!
Next, the proposal offers the Developers a way to opt-out of building affordable units, if they pay an “In-Lieu Fee” per Affordable Unit which is an Opt-Out Option which would make the already low 5% Affordable Unit, market rate unit. Allowing the Developers to pay the In-Lieu Fee /Opt-Out Fee which is just a new way of redlining because most residents in our neighborhoods cannot afford market rate housing. It would allow the whole building to become market rate rents with no possibility of affordable units at all. This In-Lieu Fee/opt Out Fee would range from $168,000.00 to $225,000.00 per unit with even lower In-Lieu Premiums which the Developers would be more than willing and can afford to pay. It is not clear where the fees would go if paid and what then City would use them for. If the In-Lieu Fees are passed through, a suggestion is for the fees to be used to create a 100% Affordable Housing in New Haven but again this purposed requirement appears exclusionary to us!
This Plan marketed as being inclusive of working-class families. Let’s not forget that most of these new Developments that are built, include units that are only studios, and 1‑to 2‑bedroom units for a family of four. Not each family consist of a married couple and two children. It could be A single parent of three or more children, a married couple of three or more children and so on. How many Units consist of 3 or more bedrooms? This proposal uses regional income levels that factor in suburban towns. A four-person household household’s earnings in New Haven does not match the proposed measurement of $46k a year, and 58% of all household makes less than 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI). The AMI should be reflective of those in the New Haven, per the New Haven Household medium income earning, instead of that of Branford, Milford and/or Guilford. We insist that the city change to 60% Affordable Housing city-wide and use New Haven’s AMI to measure affordability levels. We’re asking to be inclusionary in this process!
The Study proposes to waive a Parking minimum so that Developers could allow for Taller Buildings when New Haven Residents already have expressed not wanting taller buildings more than 4 – 5 stories high. The net impact of increased luxury development in low-income areas has been gentrification, even if a portion of new construction is set aside for lower-income residents in New Haven, even those units tend to rent for significantly more than the housing they replaced, creating a net loss of actually affordable housing. House and lot flipping has been rampant in recent rezoned areas with landowners cashing in on the value generated by intensifying the land use. Are you more concerned with the Developers Bottom-line and the amount of monies gained by the City of New Haven at the expense of the residents than the quality of life for the New Haven Residents? Most would call that collateral damage!
This Letter is being written on behalf of PCD who are fighting for the rights of the Dixwell/Newhallville and concerned neighboring residents of New Haven. We are concerned about residents constantly being boxed out of major decision that affect us. It was thought that the Alder persons that are selected/elected to office to represent US (New Haven Residents) would actually do just that. It appears every time that residents try to meet and/or have issues of serious concerns that projects are gentrifying the city, we are being ignored. The lack of transparency appears deliberate so that we the residents won’t have the time and voice to reference and/or address these projects through-out the city. Why isn’t there a Board of Community Professional and Residents to work with those who are making the final decisions for us (New Haven Residents)? Why can’t we have inclusive development?
Many times, we have been misrepresented by those that we have elected, perhaps clarification of what the Alders are for and what they do and who it is that they represent is needed. Unless there is an election which they say what we the residents want to hear but once in Office the residents are then taken for granted and excluded. There might be a few of you who actually care but for those of you that make decisions for what you are truly not qualified and due to the all mighty dollar makes you all look bad. It like one Police Officer witnessing another Police Officer wrongly violate a person’s rights but due to his complicity he does nothing, not stopping it and/or report it, is just as guilty!
Although COVID-19 has stopped a lot of the day to day and the City of New Haven alleged that it was shut down, we see that city has actually kept on moving selling, building, meeting, and planning without the involvement of the residents. Many of us has tried to keep involved per Zoom which has not always been successful due to technical issues. We did get a chance to meet with City Plan Development Staff, but our concerns have not been addressed. Transparency is still an major issue for the city of New Haven! As the Legislative Board of Alders, you have the power to stop this Inclusionary Zoning Policy in its tracks, until the issues of concerns of the New Haven resident could be addressed. Simply you could table and stop said study and start over, so we have actual affordable housing in our City.
• All Development reform to 60% Affordable Housing city wide
• AMI rates should go by the New Haven Income Earnings only
• No In-Lieu Fees and/or opt out options allowed
• To not separate the city in Tiers
• No buildings higher than four-five stories in Dixwell
• To Develop a Community & Resident Bard to work with City Committees/Commissions
We want to be able to continue to live in the neighborhoods that we are born and raised in and to be able to afford to live in with great pride which is not unreasonable. We, PCD, the resident of New Haven urges you to re-think your position in deciding to move forward with his Inclusionary Zoning Study which appears to be exclusionary and not transparent on your next Legislative Committee Meeting that was scheduled for 10/5/21 and has now been cancelled but not yet rescheduled. It’s alleged that new meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday 11/9/21 at 6:00 p.m. but to date it has not been confirmed per the City of New Haven Meeting Calendar.
Respectfully Submitted,
Lillie Chambers
New Haven Resident &
People Collaborate for Dixwell Member,
"The Study proposes to waive a Parking minimum so that Developers could allow for Taller Buildings when New Haven Residents already have expressed not wanting taller buildings more than 4-5 stories high."
Source? I think most residents want much taller, 30+ story buildings in New Haven, given the fact that getting developers to build thousands of additional housing units is the only realistic way to solve the city's affordable housing crisis.
Parking minimums dramatically increase the cost of housing. Do we really want the city government to continue to force developers to build housing for cars instead of housing for people?