Officials in Greenwich are calling on Connecticut to impose an immediate moratorium on state zoning mandates for municipalities, arguing that the town's utility infrastructure cannot keep up with the new housing the state is requiring. The concerns came into focus after officials learned that a local utility does not have the capacity to serve the additional homes being planned.
According to town officials, Connecticut Natural Gas does not have the infrastructure to meet the demands of new and expanded housing in Greenwich. The company told residents that because of the lack of capacity, service would be more expensive, and it suggested that some turn to propane instead as an alternative source of energy for their homes going forward.
First Selectman Camillo says the problem is not limited to natural gas. He points to a similar issue involving Aquarion, the area's water utility, describing a broader strain on the systems that towns rely on. In his view, recently passed housing mandates have taxed communities' infrastructure to the point where they cannot keep up with the demand now being placed on them.
Camillo framed the push for a pause as a matter of building responsibly rather than opposing growth outright. He argued that it makes little sense to pass laws that prompt residents to file applications and begin building, only for them to later be told the project will cost far more or cannot be completed as planned because the utilities are unable to support it.
If you want to be sustainable and you want to be able to live here and see these towns grow, we're going to have to do this, Camillo said, while warning against approving mandates that outpace the ability of local systems to deliver. He described a situation in which residents could be left facing unexpected costs or told that their plans are no longer feasible.
Camillo and the utility companies are working on finalizing details for a public forum in September, where the capacity concerns and their impact on housing are expected to be discussed. The town's call for a moratorium adds to a wider debate in Connecticut over how state housing mandates line up with the practical limits of local infrastructure.