The City of Stamford Land Use Bureau is soliciting proposals to develop the Stamford Affordable Housing Action Plan (the "Plan") to serve as an Affordable Housing Action and Implementation Plan for the City to actively address the potential economic, environmental and social equity impacts to Stamford's affordable housing needs given that the City has seen rapid redevelopment that will continue in the foreseeable future. The Housing Action Plan should provide comprehensive, and alternative, recommendations for targeted regulatory changes, strategic infrastructure investments, and other tools.

The previous housing plan An Affordable Housing Strategy for Stamford, CT (Vol. 1 Strategy Report) and Toward an Affordable Housing Strategy for Stamford CT (Volume II: Data Appendix) was completed close to 20 years ago. The purpose of these reports were to:

Outline the scope and content of an effective affordable housing strategy for Stamford, based on our assessment of local conditions, and discussions that have taken place up to this point. While it reflect the growing concern within the community over affordable housing over the last few years, its immediate genesis lies in the confidence on creating affordable housing. ...

Based on the results of the An Affordable Housing Strategy for Stamford, CT (Vol. 1 Strategy Report) and Toward an Affordable Housing Strategy for Stamford CT (Volume II: Data Appendix) the Land Use Bureau established the first inclusionary zoning ordinance in Connecticut in 2002.

• Affordable Housing Strategy for Stamford Vol I — Strategy Report
• Stamford Affordable Housing — Final Appendix

Section 7.4 Below Market Rate Housing Program (existing)

The City's current requirement Section 7.4 Below Market Rate (BMR) Housing Program mandates that all new residential developments with ten (10) or more dwelling units, or conversions of non-residential floor area to residential floor area generating ten (10) or more units, or additions and expansions to existing residential and mixed-use buildings that increase the total number of residential units in such buildings to ten (10) or more shall set aside the number of permanently rental or for sale Below Market Rate Dwelling Units is generally ten (10) percent. Since 2002, the current BMR program has brought 744 additional BMR units to the City's housing stock with an additional 327 from approved residential housing developments, especially in the Downtown and South End.

The City's preference has been to have the units on-site; however, the regulations also provide for four alternatives to providing BMR units on site.

Section 7.4 (D) Alternative Methods of Compliance

The current regulations allows by Special Exception in the following four alternative methods of compliance, which are:

1. To the dedication of vacant land [as yet this alternative has not yet been utilized],
2. The construction of BMR units on another site [as with alternative 1 above, has not been used a great deal],
3. The acquisition and enforcement of rental/sales price restrictions on existing dwelling units, or
4. The payment of an appropriate in-lieu housing fee [this is the alternative that has been utilized almost exclusively and produced over 300 additional affordable units].

The Land Use Bureau has proposed establishing an Affordable Housing Trust Fund in which to manage the Fee-In-Lieu funds and to create a mechanism for administering these funds in a transparent and equitable manner — the current system has a bit of "let's make a deal" with the developer being contacted by a not-for-profit affordable housing entity, e.g., Charter Oak Communities, Inspirica, New Neighborhoods) and present this proposal to the Land Use Boards — Planning Board making a referral to the Zoning Board who makes the final decision of approval.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Stamford Affordable Housing Plan shall be the preservation of existing and the creation of new affordable rental and home ownership units in the City, pursuant to the City's Master Plan. "Affordable rental and home ownership units" is defined as housing for households having incomes of no more than 80 percent of the median family income for the Stamford-Norwalk HUD Metropolitan Fair Market Rent Income Area, adjusted for household size as published annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or other such equivalent income standard as may be established by a majority vote of Zoning and Planning Boards. The Trustees shall determine an affordable rent and homeownership cost which shall not exceed 30 percent of the eligible household income. Preservation and creation of affordable housing shall include but not be limited to programs designed to further housing rehabilitation and/or development opportunities and those that are designed to directly assist homeowners and renters.

The goals of the Stamford Affordable Housing Action Plan are to generate an accurate inventory of Stamford's housing supply including housing cost (i.e. affordability), deed or use restrictions, physical condition, prioritized list of housing needs and actionable strategies for addressing these needs, including recommended zoning code amendments.