Connecticut is in the middle of a long overdue conversation about housing.
For years, interested housing groups across the state have warned that our housing supply is not keeping pace with demand. The legislature’s recent Housing Bill 8002, adopted in November of last year, was both urgent and ambitious. It focused on what many assumed was the biggest barrier: local zoning.
Zoning is visible, and its reform is necessary. But zoning reform alone cannot deliver the housing Connecticut needs, and the assumption that it can is already creating some confusion and unrealistic expectations in communities like mine. In Danbury, as in many cities across the state, our planning and legal staff are working intensively to interpret the new requirements in order to implement them by the July 1 deadline.
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“Middle housing” refers to buildings with two to nine units that bridge the gap between single-family homes and large apartment complexes. The Housing Bill gives this type of housing significant attention. It requires municipalities to allow these buildings in commercial and mixed-use zones without a public hearing. It also lowers parking requirements for new housing. These zoning reforms matter, but they are insufficient. Without updates to fire and building codes, the promise of middle housing will remain out of reach.
Imagine you are opening a restaurant. Zoning Regulations are the theme and location. It tells you where you can open your restaurant (e.g., commercial zone vs. residential neighborhood) and what kind of restaurant it can be (e.g., a quiet café, not a loud nightclub). Building Codes, on the other hand, are uniform safety requirements that include electrical wiring, plumbing, fire exits, and structural integrity. The two aspects go hand in hand, and the same principles apply in ensuring the viability of any housing development.
After years of reviewing development proposals, meeting with builders, and navigating the regulatory landscape here in Connecticut and elsewhere, I can say with confidence that zoning reform can open the door, but it can’t guarantee that anyone will walk through it. Building and fire code barriers to housing production are less visible, and that is why they can be easily overlooked in housing bills. However, when a developer looks at a site, zoning is only the first part. The other important part is whether building and fire codes allow the type of structure that makes sense for the site. Without these considerations, the development project dies regardless of what zoning allows.
This is why other states that have successfully increased housing production have paired zoning reform with modernized building codes and infrastructure investment, and streamlined permitting. Colorado, for example, adopted a law in 2025 allowing five-story residential buildings to use a single staircase in certain municipalities. Seattle has allowed similar single staircase buildings since the 1970s. These are not fringe ideas; they are proven tools for reducing construction costs and enabling housing on smaller lots.
Why does this matter? Because under current codes, any building taller than three stories typically requires two exit staircases. That requirement forces a wide building footprint, which in turn requires larger parcels. In Connecticut, large parcels are increasingly rare and expensive because most communities are built out. A single-stair configuration can allow for compact, efficient floor plans that fit on small sites and dedicate more space to actual living areas. It is a simple code change with enormous impact.
Another issue we encounter frequently is fire code compliance, especially minimum road widths for emergency access. Many infill projects, precisely the kind of development the state wants to encourage, fail at this step. The alternative, installing full sprinkler systems, can push costs so high that the project becomes financially non-feasible.
These are not theoretical concerns. They are the daily realities of planning departments across Connecticut. And unless we address them, zoning reform will remain symbolic rather than transformative.
I chose this profession because I believe in the power of good planning to shape communities for the better. I see every day how desperately people need more housing options, young families, seniors, and workers who want to live near their jobs. I also see how hard it is to deliver those options under our current regulatory framework.
Connecticut is at a pivotal moment. We can treat zoning reform as the finish line, or we can recognize it as the starting point. If we truly want more housing, and more affordable housing, to be more exact, we must modernize our building codes, invest in infrastructure, and streamline the processes that slow or stop development long before a shovel hits the ground.
Zoning reform matters. But housing reform does not stop at zoning. It requires a full ecosystem that supports the homes we say we want to build.
Waleed Albakry is director of Planning & Zoning, city of Danbury.