Affordable Housing Draft Goals

Housing Goals

To address the housing needs within the Town of Hamden, a broad set of goals were created. Goals were informed by the housing data in the existing conditions report, a review of past planning efforts including the POCD, a survey of Hamden residents, and a series of discussions with city staff and elected officials. The intention of the goals is to chart a course for Hamden and guide their future regulatory, policy, and programmatic decisions as they relate to housing. The goals for Hamden’s Affordable Housing Plan are as follows:

• Preserve and maintain the town’s existing affordable housing stock and work toward a goal of exceeding the State’s 10% affordable housing threshold in Hamden.
• Continue addressing housing gaps for older residents in Hamden through the addition of a diversity of senior housing options as well as helping seniors who want to remain in their homes to be able to age in place.
• Encourage housing options that appeal to younger residents who want to live and work in Hamden. Consider locations that are walkable and in close proximity to commercial areas to capture spending locally from new households. Encourage mixed-use and multifamily development along commercial corridors.
• Identify mechanisms and locations to enable a diverse range of housing options across Hamden to avoid the concentration of affordable units and provide families with opportunities to live in different neighborhoods.
• Work toward eliminating homelessness in Hamden through strategic partnerships and programs that provide temporary and permanent supportive housing options for individual and families.
• Identify mechanisms and locations that encourage owner-occupied housing including single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums. Couple housing production with mortgage assistance programs like CHFA mortgages and down payment assistance.
• Leverage town-owned land and vacant/underutilized property for the production of affordable housing.
• Align land use and zoning regulations, housing incentive programs, and public transit and infrastructure to support additional affordable housing development.
• Engage affordable housing providers and development partners in discussions about reducing zoning, permitting, and land cost barriers for deeply subsidized affordable housing.
• Promote resident education, communication, and discussion about what affordable is, who it helps, and how to implement the affordable housing plan.