House Bill 5475 (sHB5475 File No. 419) introduces amendments to Connecticut's laws related to housing development, environmental protection, and municipal zoning regulations. The bill restricts intervention in residential building permit application proceedings to property owners within a 100-foot radius of the land in question, as opposed to the previous allowance for any abutting property owners or those within 500 feet. It also modifies the requirements for protest petitions against zoning changes, now requiring the owners of at least 20% of the area of the lots included in the proposed change to sign the petition. The bill allows municipalities to exempt certain developments from inland wetlands agency review and mandates that municipalities permit the conversion of vacant nursing homes into multifamily housing under specified conditions.

Furthermore, the bill prioritizes the Department of Housing's plans for using surplus state property for low and moderate-income housing when multiple agency plans are submitted for the same land. It maintains the requirement for intervenors to provide specific factual allegations and mandates legislative bodies to consult with inland wetlands agencies and hold public hearings before adopting relevant ordinances, which must be reviewed every seven years. The bill received a Joint Favorable Substitute recommendation from the Planning and Development Committee with a vote of 12 in favor and 8 against on March 22, 2024. The effective dates for the various sections of the bill are set for October 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 8-7
PD Joint Favorable Substitute:
File No. 419: