Darien Looks to Pause Large Multifamily Developments Amid Statewide Housing Challenges

[Excerpt from article by Kelly Prinz, 3/29/26]

The Darien Planning and Zoning Commission is planning to vote on a one-year moratorium for “large multifamily developments,” or projects with 25 or more units.

Jeremy Ginsberg, the town’s director of land use, said there were a few reasons behind the proposed moratorium including a need for the commission to finish its work on the 10-year master plan. In addition, he and commissioners said that the town has had a lot of multifamily housing added in the last few years and they wanted to see the impacts of it on the town.

“I’m mindful of the need for this moratorium,” First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky said at the commission meeting. “The idea of a pause to allow what has been a non-trivial amount of development in town that seems not just to make sense, but to resonate with most residents with whom I speak.”

There would be some exemptions—particularly any projects that come under state statutes like 8-30g as they are governed by a separate set of regulations. But the moratorium comes amid a larger conversation happening across the state about the need for more housing.

A February 2026 report from DataHaven found that the state is “facing a historic housing affordability crisis.” The report noted that the state “ranks dead last nationally in the number of active housing listings for every ten thousand households … second to last in its rental vacancy rate, as of 2024.” In addition, the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness found that homelessness in Connecticut rose by 44 percent since 2021.

[….]

The February study from DataHaven found that Darien has seen a 4.7% growth in its number of housing units over the past five years, which is above many neighboring communities—although the overall number of units, 345, is lower. Norwalk saw a 4.1% increase in the number of housing units it has, adding 1,564. Stamford had the highest percentage in the state—a 6.2% increase or more than 3,500 units.

Greenwich added 381 units for a 1.5% increase, Westport added 261 for a 2.5% increase, Fairfield added just under 600 for a 2.7% increase, and Bridgeport added 1,550 units for a 2.6% increase.

The report said that while the number of housing units has increased, it’s not enough to meet the growing needs that Lamont outlined. Citing the 2025 Connecticut Fair Share Housing Study, the report found that there is a shortfall of 120,000 housing units for low-income residents. That study noted the ”overall housing gap is even larger—up to 380,000 units statewide.”

The demand is coming from a few places—people wanting to age in place, workers and families moving into Connecticut, and younger people looking to move out of their parents house, DataHaven found, noting that “average household sizes are also shrinking, as fewer people choose to live with roommates or extended family. As a result, even if the population were to remain steady, the demand for new housing supply would still increase with the rising number of households and the gradual loss of existing housing units.”

The report recommends finding ways to accelerate new housing developments, not pause them, such as by allowing multifamily housing by right in areas around transit and job centers.

[….]