Affordable Housing in Suburbia: The Importance But Limited Power and Effectiveness of the State Override Tool
32 Pages Posted: 30 Jul 2010 Last revised: 20 Dec 2013
Date Written: 2001
Abstract
This article provides the introduction to a December, 1999 symposium on “Increasing Affordable Housing and Mobility in Three New England States and New Jersey: Comparative Perspectives on the Occasion of the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Permit Law.” It describes the origins and summarizes the essential features of zoning override laws in four states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island. It discusses their track record in meeting their various goals – producing affordable housing; increasing mobility and housing choice; and integrating the suburbs. It gives the statutes “two cheers” and then offers suggestions for their improvement.
Keywords: Zoning, Affordable Housing, Mobility, Overrides, Integration, Snob Zoning, Comprehensive Permit, Exclusionary Zoning, Fair Housing
JEL Classification: B10, J7
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation