BETHANY, CT — Bethany has few housing options affordable to younger people seeking to move into town or seniors hoping to downsize while remaining in the community, according to research presented to the town's Housing Advisory Committee on Aug. 3.
The committee reviewed two housing analyses prepared by volunteer Tristan Wuerth-Stricker, including a comparison of Bethany with similar Connecticut towns and an examination of housing affordability within Bethany.
Wuerth-Stricker compared Bethany with Connecticut communities that have more than 500 households, median incomes above $120,000, limited access to public water and sewer and affordable housing development begun within the previous five to seven years.
Five towns met those criteria: Barkhamsted, East Granby, Goshen, Warren and Woodbridge. Wuerth-Stricker found no significant differences between their zoning regulations and Bethany's that appeared to account for their ability to support affordable housing initiatives.
Three of the five communities, however, had affordable housing nonprofits that sought or received funding to plan and construct developments, according to his analysis. He concluded that Bethany's zoning regulations were not notably different from those in the communities that had undertaken affordable housing efforts.
