Survey: Quality housing in short supply

The results are in for the housing needs assessment, and the conclusion is that Fairfield is short of housing.

In the fall, employers in Fairfield were asked to complete a survey about the housing needs of their employees. The survey revealed that more than 30 percent of Fairfield single-family households live in a poor or dilapidated residence.

Furthermore, the survey indicated 55 percent of people who work in Fairfield commute from outside the city. Those who commute listed a number of reasons why they don?t live in Fairfield. Chief among them are a lack of housing in town, a lack of affordable housing specifically, having lived in another town and for various family reasons.

Fairfield Economic Development Association executive director Adam Plagge said it?s a mystery so many people would choose to work in Fairfield but not live here considering the town?s amenities such as its quality schools, variety of restaurants and recreational opportunities. The survey helps solve that mystery by suggesting the reason for their commute is the dearth of acceptable housing.

?Surveyed employers overwhelmingly cited a lack of modern mid-priced housing as a concern,? Plagge said. ?Dilapidated houses can depress an entire neighborhood?s prices and discourage urban infill. All these factors decrease homeowner mobility, keeping people in homes that may not suit their needs.?

Fairfield has an abnormally high number of low-income households compared to the rest of the state. Nearly 30 percent of households in town have an income under $20,000. About one-third of homeowners in town are ?cost-burdened,? meaning more than 30 percent of their income goes to housing.

Plagge said Fairfield has worked hard to nurture a vibrant culture and provide amenities to make it an attractive place to live.

?The housing needs assessment suggests the city also nurture an environment that supports affordable quality housing,? he said. ?The job market in Fairfield is good. Fairfield?s unemployment is lower than the state average. It?s the housing market that has not caught up.?

The report from the housing needs assessment recommends improving existing homes and building new ones. To improve existing homes, the report suggests proactively enforcing city codes to prevent homes from becoming dilapidated. One way to improve homes is through FEDA?s energy rewards loan program, which offers home and business owners low-interest loans for energy efficient and renewable energy projects. Area 15 Regional Planning also offers low to no-interest home improvement loans through its AHEAD Housing Trust Fund.

The creation and distribution of the survey was a joint effort between the city of Fairfield, the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Fairfield Economic Development Association. The three entities plan to share the survey data with developers to encourage them to build in the area. They also plan to use the data to form their own long-term development plans.

Plagge said the need for low- to moderate-income housing is especially strong, but even housing for high-income households could help Fairfield?s housing shortage. He said any new home construction would free up existing homes and allow low-income households to upgrade their living arrangements by moving into those recently vacated homes.

The results from the survey indicated that about 49 percent of homes in town were built prior to 1960, and that the median home age was 50 years, meaning a home built in 1964. Plagge said many of these homes are not designed for the elderly. He said this was problematic for a town such as Fairfield, which has a population with a median age of 46, eight years higher than the state average.

One issue not addressed in the survey was the availability of Vastu homes, which are designed according to Vedic principles. Plagge said he has talked to Mayor Ed Malloy about that issue and they hope to encourage a graduate student to Maharishi University of Management to do a project on the need for Vastu homes in the area.

Plagge plans to discuss the results of the survey with the city council at its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday.