SOSA | About SOSA

The Stratford Open Space Association (S.O.S.A.) is the outgrowth of a grassroots effort by residents of the community to oppose the AvalonBay "affordable housing" project in the North End of Stratford. We are a volunteer organization with legal representation. We have also hired a highly qualified team of consultants to present arguments counter to those of AvalonBay.

Our efforts in opposing this project have led us to pursue further action aimed at State of Connecticut affordable housing legislation reform, specificially state statute 8-30g. 8-30g proposes to assure that 10% of a town's or city's housing stock is deed restricted to provide affordable housing, presumably for low-income families. Currently, Stratford approaches 8.5% statutory compliance (but in actuality, when this standard is applied to ALL the town's housing, not just those deed restricted units, the figure rises to 16%). In order to qualify for affordable housing under 8-30g, a family's net income must be less than 80% of the median state or local income figure, whatever is lowest.

3 out of 4 units at Avalon Stratford will not be in the affordable catagory. The net result will be that Stratford will be farther from compliance.

The loopholes in 8-30G permit opportunistic developers to ignore the concerns of local communities and governments and sidestep local zoning regulations. Instead of 'affordable housing'--a term cynically manipulated by development companies--what they construct are in fact market value priced units. The way the law is written, interpreted, and enforced, affordable housing does not equal low income housing. At the zoning hearings in the fall of 2000, the figure of $1,000 per month was offered as an example of an 'affordable' unit rate. As long as developers are allowed to exploit 8-30G, this law as written, interpreted, and enforced does not bring communities closer to achieving mandated compliance with affordable housing requirements. Nor does it provide truly affordable housing for people who actually need it.

To contact S.O.S.A., click the e-mail link to the left.

About S.O.S.A.