LCO \\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2024HB-05337-R01- HB.docx 1 of 5 General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 5337 February Session, 2024 AN ACT CONCERNING AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened: Section 1. Subsection (a) of section 8-30g of the general statutes is 1 repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 2 1, 2024): 3 (a) As used in this section, [and] section 8-30j and section 2 of this act: 4 (1) "Affordable housing development" means a proposed housing 5 development which is (A) assisted housing, or (B) a set-aside 6 development; 7 (2) "Affordable housing application" means any application made to 8 a commission in connection with an affordable housing development by 9 a person who proposes to develop such affordable housing; 10 (3) "Assisted housing" means housing [which] that is receiving, or 11 will receive, financial assistance under any governmental program for 12 the construction or substantial rehabilitation of low and moderate 13 income housing, and any housing occupied by persons receiving rental 14 assistance under chapter 319uu or Section 1437f of Title 42 of the United 15 States Code; 16 (4) "Commission" means a zoning commission, planning 17 Substitute Bill No. 5337 LCO {\\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2024HB-05337- R01-HB.docx } 2 of 5 commission, combined planning and zoning commission, zoning board 18 of appeals or municipal agency exercising zoning or planning authority; 19 (5) "Municipality" means any town, city or borough, whether 20 consolidated or unconsolidated; 21 (6) "Set-aside development" means a development in which not less 22 than thirty per cent of the dwelling units will be conveyed by deeds 23 containing covenants or restrictions which shall require that, for at least 24 forty years after the initial occupation of the proposed development, 25 such dwelling units shall be sold or rented at, or below, prices which 26 will preserve the units as housing for which persons and families pay 27 thirty per cent or less of their annual income, where such income is less 28 than or equal to eighty per cent of the median income. In a set-aside 29 development, of the dwelling units conveyed by deeds containing 30 covenants or restrictions, a number of dwelling units equal to not less 31 than fifteen per cent of all dwelling units in the development shall be 32 sold or rented to persons and families whose income is less than or equal 33 to sixty per cent of the median income and the remainder of the dwelling 34 units conveyed by deeds containing covenants or restrictions shall be 35 sold or rented to persons and families whose income is less than or equal 36 to eighty per cent of the median income; 37 (7) "Median income" means, after adjustments for family size, the 38 lesser of the state median income or the area median income for the area 39 in which the municipality containing the affordable housing 40 development is located, as determined by the United States Department 41 of Housing and Urban Development; and 42 (8) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Housing. 43 Sec. 2. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2024) (a) Each applicant who 44 submits an affordable housing application to a commission shall 45 provide a surety bond issued by a licensed insurance company, banking 46 institution or surety company authorized to do business in this state, in 47 the amount of one hundred thousand dollars, as surety for the 48 Substitute Bill No. 5337 LCO {\\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2024HB-05337- R01-HB.docx } 3 of 5 applicant's development of the project as specified in such application. 49 The bond shall be in favor of the municipality in which such commission 50 is located and shall have an effective period of one year. 51 (b) A municipality may proceed on such bond against the amount of 52 such bond if the applicant withdraws such applicant's affordable 53 housing application without good cause, as determined by the 54 commission. Any proceeds of such bond recovered by the municipality 55 shall be used by the municipality solely for (1) the development of 56 affordable housing, as defined in section 8-39a of the general statutes, 57 (2) capital improvements to the public property of the municipality, or 58 (3) the acquisition or preservation of land designated as open space. 59 Sec. 3. Section 7-339hh of the general statutes is repealed and the 60 following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2024): 61 Costs authorized for payment from a district master plan fund, 62 established pursuant to section 7-339gg are limited to: 63 (1) Costs of improvements made within the tax increment district, 64 including, but not limited to, (A) capital costs, including, but not limited 65 to, (i) the acquisition or construction of land, improvements, 66 infrastructure, public ways, parks, buildings, structures, railings, street 67 furniture, signs, landscaping, plantings, benches, trash receptacles, 68 curbs, sidewalks, turnouts, recreational facilities, structured parking, 69 transportation improvements, pedestrian improvements and other 70 related improvements, fixtures and equipment for public use, (ii) the 71 acquisition or construction of land, improvements, infrastructure, 72 buildings, structures, including facades and signage, fixtures and 73 equipment for industrial, commercial, residential, mixed-use or retail 74 use or transit-oriented development, (iii) the demolition, alteration, 75 remodeling, repair or reconstruction of existing buildings, structures 76 and fixtures; (iv) environmental remediation; (v) site preparation and 77 finishing work; and (vi) all fees and expenses associated with the capital 78 cost of such improvements, including, but not limited to, licensing and 79 permitting expenses and planning, engineering, architectural, testing, 80 Substitute Bill No. 5337 LCO {\\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2024HB-05337- R01-HB.docx } 4 of 5 legal and accounting expenses; (B) financing costs, including, but not 81 limited to, closing costs, issuance costs, reserve funds and capitalized 82 interest; (C) real property assembly costs; (D) costs of technical and 83 marketing assistance programs; (E) professional service costs, 84 including, but not limited to, licensing, architectural, planning, 85 engineering, development and legal expenses; (F) maintenance and 86 operation costs; (G) administrative costs, including, but not limited to, 87 reasonable charges for the time spent by municipal employees, other 88 agencies or third-party entities in connection with the implementation 89 of a district master plan; and (H) organizational costs relating to the 90 planning and the establishment of the tax increment district, including, 91 but not limited to, the costs of conducting environmental impact and 92 other studies and the costs of informing the public about the creation of 93 tax increment districts and the implementation of the district master 94 plan; 95 (2) Costs of improvements that are made outside the tax increment 96 district but are directly related to or are made necessary by the 97 establishment or operation of the tax increment district, including, but 98 not limited to, (A) that portion of the costs reasonably related to the 99 construction, alteration or expansion of any facilities not located within 100 the tax increment district that are required due to improvements or 101 activities within the tax increment district, including, but not limited to, 102 roadways, traffic signalization, easements, sewage treatment plants, 103 water treatment plants or other environmental protection devices, storm 104 or sanitary sewer lines, water lines, electrical lines, improvements to fire 105 stations, and street signs; (B) costs of public safety and public school 106 improvements made necessary by the establishment of the tax 107 increment district; and (C) costs of funding to mitigate any adverse 108 impact of the tax increment district upon the municipality and its 109 constituents; [and] 110 (3) Costs related to economic development, environmental 111 improvements or employment training associated with the tax 112 increment district, including, but not limited to, (A) economic 113 Substitute Bill No. 5337 LCO {\\PRDFS1\HCOUSERS\BARRYJN\WS\2024HB-05337- R01-HB.docx } 5 of 5 development programs or events related to the tax increment district; 114 (B) environmental improvement projects developed by the municipality 115 related to the tax increment district; (C) the establishment of permanent 116 economic development revolving loan funds, investment funds and 117 grants; and (D) services and equipment necessary for employment skills 118 development and training, including scholarships to in -state 119 educational institutions for jobs created or retained in the tax increment 120 district; and 121 (4) Costs of improvements that are made outside the tax increment 122 district for the renovation or rehabilitation of a housing development 123 that is a set-aside development, as defined in subsection (a) of section 8-124 30g, as amended by this act, for which development the deed covenants 125 or restrictions that preserve such development as a set-aside 126 development will expire in not more than three years, provided the 127 costs of such improvements are paid pursuant to an agreement between 128 the municipality and the owner of such development in which the 129 owner agrees to renew such deed covenants or restrictions for not less 130 than forty years. 131 This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections: Section 1 October 1, 2024 8-30g(a) Sec. 2 October 1, 2024 New section Sec. 3 October 1, 2024 7-339hh Statement of Legislative Commissioners: In Section 1(a)(4), "combined" was inserted before "planning and zoning commission" for statutory consistency; in Section 2(a) "run for a" was replaced with "have an effective" for clarity; and in Section 2(b), "used solely by the municipality" was changed to "used by the municipality solely" for accuracy. HSG Joint Favorable Subst. -LCO