Sec. 8-384. Regional housing councils. (a) There shall continue to be a regional
housing council within each planning region of the state, as designated under the provisions of section 16a-4a, which shall consist of not less than seven members of the public
representing a fair cross-section of the region. The chairperson of each regional housing
council shall be appointed by the Governor and shall serve for a term coterminous with
that of the Governor. Upon the resignation of any chairperson, the Governor shall appoint
a successor to serve as chairperson. The chairperson shall organize each regional housing
council and appoint the members thereof, who shall serve at the pleasure of the chairperson. If any vacancy occurs in the council, the chairperson shall appoint a successor to
fill such vacancy. If the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development finds
that a regional housing council has not been organized within a planning region, he may
designate the regional planning agency or other entity to serve as the regional housing
council for such region.
(b) Each regional housing council shall: (1) Strive for environmentally and economically sound and socially balanced development of affordable, equal opportunity housing in accordance with applicable state and federal laws and regulations and regional
development plans; (2) assist state and local decision makers, housing sponsors and
other participants in the development of housing in defining suitable approaches to
providing for regional housing needs and identifying regional housing resources; (3)
develop channels of communication between all levels of government and the producers
and consumers of housing in order to assist in expediting existing processes for housing
production, in cooperation with regional planning agencies; (4) formulate and recommend measures designed to improve housing policies and propose appropriate legislative changes; (5) review and evaluate state housing programs and grants; (6) provide a
forum for members of the public concerned with housing issues; (7) receive, review
and comment on the housing needs assessment transmitted to the council by the regional
planning agency within its planning region as required by section 8-35a, provided the
council shall transmit such comments to the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development not later than thirty days after receiving the housing needs assessment;
and (8) monitor housing-related activities of the regional planning agency within its
region.
(P.A. 87-550, S. 2, 10; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12, S. 4; P.A. 94-138, S. 2; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6.)
History: June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12 amended Subsec. (b)(7) to require each regional housing council to submit comments
on the housing needs to the commissioner of housing rather than the Blue Ribbon Commission on Housing; P.A. 94-138
amended Subsec. (a) to designate regional planning agencies or other entities to serve as regional housing councils and
amended Subsec. (b) to authorize monitoring of housing-related activities of regional planning agencies; P.A. 95-250 and
P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and Department of Economic and
Community Development.
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Sec. 8-385. Housing Advisory Committee. (a) There shall continue to be a Housing Advisory Committee which shall consist of thirteen members appointed as follows:
An attorney employed by a legal services agency, a representative of the Connecticut
Housing Coalition, a representative of the Connecticut Community Development Association, a representative of an environmental public interest group and a representative
of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness, appointed by the Governor; a representative of the Connecticut chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials and a representative of a Connecticut Banking Trade Association,
appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; a resident of public housing,
appointed by the majority leader of the Senate; a representative of the Home Builders
Association of Connecticut, appointed by the minority leader of the Senate; a representative of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities and a representative of the Connecticut Council of Small Towns, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives; a representative of the Connecticut chapter of the American Planning Association,
appointed by the majority leader of the House of Representatives and a representative
of the Connecticut Association of Realtors, appointed by the minority leader of the
House of Representatives. One of the members appointed by the Governor shall be
designated by the Governor to serve as chairperson. The members of the committee
shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority. Upon the resignation of any
member, the appointing authority shall appoint a successor. The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development shall serve as an ex-officio member of the committee.
(b) The Housing Advisory Committee shall: (1) Advise the General Assembly, the
Governor, the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development and the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority on matters relating to housing programs and policies; (2) provide legislative recommendations relating to housing matters to the Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, the Connecticut Housing
Finance Authority and the General Assembly; (3) monitor the housing-related activities
of the regional planning agencies under chapter 127; and (4) promote coordination on
housing matters among state agencies.
(P.A. 87-550, S. 3, 10; P.A. 89-126, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12, S. 5; P.A. 94-138, S. 1; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A.
96-68, S. 4; 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6.)
History: P.A. 89-126 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize an additional at-large member of the committee to be appointed
by the governor, to provide that one member appointed by the governor be designated by the governor as chairperson and
to require the commissioner of housing to serve as an ex-officio member of the committee; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12
amended Subsec. (b) to require the central housing committee to submit comments on the housing needs to the commissioner
of housing rather than the Blue Ribbon Commission on Housing; P.A. 94-138 amended Subsec. (a) by increasing membership to thirteen and replacing requirement that members represent a fair cross section of the state with appointments from
specific organizations and added Subsec. (b)(5) authorizing the committee to promote coordination on housing matters
among state agencies; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner
and Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 96-68 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing Central Housing
Committee with the Housing Advisory Committee and removing chairmen of regional housing councils from membership
and amended Subsec. (b) by authorizing the committee to advise the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and by
deleting Subdiv. (4) re housing needs assessments and renumbering the remaining Subdiv.
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Sec. 8-386. Regional fair housing compact pilot program. Report. (a) Upon
submission of the initial report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Housing pursuant
to subsection (a) of section 4 of public act 87-550*, the Secretary of the Office of Policy
and Management, in consultation with the Commissioner of Economic and Community
Development, shall establish a pilot program in two planning regions of the state, as
designated under the provisions of section 16a-4a, for the development, through the
process of a negotiated investment strategy, of a regional fair housing compact to provide
increased housing for low and moderate income families within the regions. The choice
of the regions for such pilot program shall be based on the findings contained in the
initial report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Housing. The pilot program shall
provide for a series of negotiations to be conducted by a mediator with the Secretary of
the Office of Policy and Management, or his designee, the Commissioner of Economic
and Community Development, or his designee, and the officers of the regional planning
agency or agencies within the chosen regions, or their designees and a representative
of each municipality within such planning regions, appointed by the chief executive
officer of such municipality. Such negotiations shall be conducted for the purpose of
formulating and reaching consensus on a fair housing compact containing regional goals
for the development of adequate, affordable housing based on the need for such housing
in the regions as balanced against environmental, economic, transportation and infrastructure concerns, and the time frames for achieving such goals. The secretary shall
contract with an independent consultant to serve as mediator in such negotiations. Upon
the successful negotiation of such regional fair housing compact, the terms of the compact shall be submitted to the regional planning agency or agencies for incorporation
into the regional plan or plans of development, as provided under section 8-35a, and
shall be transmitted to the chief executive officers of the municipalities located within
the planning regions for approval by the municipalities. Such compact shall not be
included in the regional plan or plans of development until sixty-five per cent of the
legislative bodies located within the planning regions have given such approval.
(b) Not later than September 1, 1988, the Secretary of the Office of Policy and
Management shall submit a report to the select committee on housing containing an
evaluation of the operation and effectiveness of the pilot program authorized under this
section.
(P.A. 87-550, S. 5, 10; 87-589, S. 78, 87; P.A. 88-334, S. 2, 7; P.A. 90-205, S. 1; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1,
5, 6.)
*Note: Section 4 of public act 87-550 is special in nature and therefore has not been codified but remains in full force
and effect according to its terms.
History: P.A. 87-589 changed report deadline in Subsec. (b) from February 3, 1988, to September 1, 1988; P.A. 88-334 amended Subsec. (a) to provide for the establishment of a pilot program in two planning regions of the state; P.A. 90-205 amended Subsec. (a) by requiring approval of 65% of towns in a compact rather than all the towns before the compact
can be included in a regional plan; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with
Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development.
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Sec. 8-387. Housing Infrastructure Fund. State financial assistance to municipalities located in pilot program planning regions. (a) There is established a fund to
be known as the "Housing Infrastructure Fund". The fund shall contain any moneys
required by law to be deposited therein and shall be held separate and apart from all
other moneys, funds and accounts. Any balance remaining in the fund at the end of any
fiscal year shall be carried forward in the fund for the fiscal year next succeeding. The
fund may be used to make grants-in-aid, loans or deferred loans authorized by subsection
(b) of this section.
(b) The state, acting by and in the discretion of the Commissioner of Economic and
Community Development, in consultation with the Secretary of the Office of Policy
and Management, may enter into a contract to provide state financial assistance in the
form of a grant-in-aid, loan, deferred loan or combination thereof to municipalities
located within the planning regions in which the pilot program is established, upon the
approval of the regional fair housing compact as provided in section 8-386. In the case
of a deferred loan, the contract shall require that payments on interest are due immediately but that payments on principal may be made at a later time. Notwithstanding the
provisions of subsection (d) of section 4-86, funds appropriated to any state agency for
payment to local governments for purposes related to or necessary for the development
of housing in the regions, including but not limited to the purposes contained in this
subsection, other than those for which distribution is governed by statutory formula,
may be made available for the pilot program authorized under section 8-386 upon the
recommendation of the Governor and approval of the Finance Advisory Committee.
The grants-in-aid, loans, deferred loans or combinations thereof authorized under this
subsection and any additional funds made available for the pilot program as provided
in this subsection shall be used by the municipalities in said regions for the purpose of
planning, construction or renovation of housing and for any of the following when
necessary to support the development of housing within such municipalities in accordance with the regional fair housing compact: (1) Sanitary sewer lines, including interceptors, laterals and pumping stations; (2) natural gas, electric, telephone and telecommunications pipes, wires, conduits and other facilities and waterlines and water supply
facilities, except for any such pipes, wires, conduits, waterlines or facilities which a
public service company, as defined in section 16-1, a water company, as defined in
section 25-32a, or a municipal utility is required to install pursuant to any provision of
the general statutes, or any special act, a regulation or order of the Department of Public
Utility Control or a certificate of public convenience and necessity; (3) storm drainage
facilities, including facilities to control flooding; (4) public roadways and related appurtenances; (5) community septic systems approved by the Department of Environmental
Protection, provided administrative costs directly related to such construction or renovation shall not exceed five per cent of the total grant or loan from the department. Such
grants-in-aid, loans, deferred loans or combinations thereof shall be awarded in such
amounts and upon such conditions as the commissioner, in consultation with the secretary, may prescribe by regulation except that no grant-in-aid, loan, or deferred loan or
combination thereof shall be made to any municipality that has not approved a housing
compact prepared under section 8-386.
(P.A. 87-550, S. 6, 10; P.A. 88-334, S. 4, 7; 88-364, S. 91, 123; P.A. 90-205, S. 2; 90-238, S. 23, 32; P.A. 92-166, S.
25, 31; P.A. 94-95, S. 5; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6.)
History: P.A. 88-334 and 88-364 made technical changes to Subsec. (b); P.A. 90-205 amended Subsec. (b) to prohibit
grants to municipalities that have not approved a housing compact; P.A. 90-238 amended Subsec. (a) to allow, rather than
require, that the fund be used to make grants-in-aid or loans under Subsec. (b); P.A. 92-166 amended Subsec. (a) to make
deferred loans a form of financial assistance available under the section and to provide that payments on interest are due
immediately but that payments on principal may be made at a later time and amended Subsec. (a) to make technical changes
consistent with changes in Subsec. (b); P.A. 94-95 in Subsec. (a) eliminated provision requiring investment earnings to
be credited to assets of the fund; P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with
Commissioner and Department of Economic and Community Development.
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Sec. 8-388. Regulations. The Commissioner of Economic and Community Development, in consultation with the Secretary of the Office of Policy and Management,
shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to carry out the
purpose of section 8-387. Such regulations shall establish terms and conditions for the
award of the grants-in-aid and loans authorized under subsection (b) of said section,
requirements and limitations as to adjustments of loan terms and conditions of repayment, funding priorities and such additional requirements as the commissioner deems
necessary and reasonable.
(P.A. 87-550, S. 7, 10; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6.)
History: P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and
Department of Economic and Community Development.
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Sec. 8-389. Priority financial or technical assistance in connection with regional fair housing compact. Upon the incorporation of a successfully negotiated regional fair housing compact into a regional plan of conservation and development by a
regional planning agency pursuant to section 8-386, the Commissioner of Economic
and Community Development and the Connecticut Housing Authority may give priority
to any application for financial or technical assistance made by a municipality, housing
authority or eligible developer as defined in subsection (u) of section 8-39 in connection
with any project located in a municipality which has approved the regional fair housing
compact pursuant to section 8-386.
(P.A. 88-334, S. 3, 7; P.A. 95-250, S. 1; P.A. 96-211, S. 1, 5, 6; P.A. 08-182, S. 13.)
History: P.A. 95-250 and P.A. 96-211 replaced Commissioner and Department of Housing with Commissioner and
Department of Economic and Community Development; P.A. 08-182 changed "regional plan of development" to "regional
plan of conservation and development".
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Secs. 8-390 to 8-394. Reserved for future use.
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