Hartford Courant: Report - Exclusionary housing practices are bad for Connecticut’s economy

Restrictive land use regulations restrict Connecticut’s housing supply, raise housing prices and limit the state’s overall economic growth, according to a report issued by the nonpartisan School and State Finance Project.

The 23-page report outlines how — in addition to contributing to racial and economic segregation in Connecticut towns — local zoning laws harm the economy by keeping young people out of the housing market or unable to afford rentals.

“We typically talk about land use regulations in the sense of how they’ve created segregation in the state, both on an income level and a racial level, and that will always be at the forefront,” said Michael Morton, deputy executive director for communications and operations at the School and State Finance Project, a nonprofit that studies education funding and state finance in Connecticut. “That should be at the forefront.”

But this other piece — the economic impact of land use regulations — often gets overlooked, he said.

Read the full article at https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-exclusionary-zoning-practices-connecticut-20201123-cw4ej2apq5hpvdnmruhzswi3na-story.html