Town officials said housing costs continue to outpace incomes as the Affordable Housing Committee outlined progress and ongoing challenges during the Representative Town Meeting’s March 16 informational meeting.
The committee’s 2026 annual report, presented by Mark Barnhart, director of community and economic development, and Affordable Housing Committee Chair Urb Leimkuhler, emphasized the need to expand housing options for residents of varying incomes and ages. The report says the committee’s mission is to promote “a full range of housing choices for households of all incomes and ages” in Fairfield.
Data presented at the meeting showed a widening gap between median household income and the median sale price of single-family homes, contributing to an increase in cost-burdened households, those spending 30% or more of their income on housing.
According to the report, Fairfield’s median household income increased 21% from 2020 to 2025, while the median sale price of a single-family home rose 58.5%, from $675,000 to $1.07 million. The report also said the ratio of median sale price to median household income rose from 4.9 in 2020 to 6.4 in 2025.
“That’s an issue here as it is throughout the state — different parts of the country,” Barnhart said. “You’ll find it’s an issue both for renters, as well as homeowners.”
Officials pointed to progress in expanding housing supply and diversifying development types in recent years, along with growth in the town’s affordable housing inventory. The report said the percentage of affordable units counted by the state increased from 2.57% in 2020 to 3.62% in 2025.
“Throughout town, people in various demographic groups are really lacking for housing opportunities,” Leimkuhler said.
Recent projects include a development at 240-246 Greenfield St., where two duplexes created four affordable homeownership units. The project began in 2021 with a Housing Trust Fund purchase and was developed in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County. The report said the committee celebrated the completion with an open house and home dedication ceremony.
Additional developments include a 40-unit residential project at 131 Beach Road and a 91-unit development at 140 Bronson Road that officials said is nearing completion.
One of the committee’s most significant accomplishments, officials said, was securing Fairfield’s first state housing moratorium from the Connecticut Department of Housing on April 1, 2025.
The moratorium provides a four-year exemption from certain provisions of the state’s 8-30g affordable housing statute, limiting the applicability of the affordable housing appeals procedure through March 31, 2029.
Officials said the town must accumulate about 330 housing unit-equivalent points to qualify for a subsequent five-year moratorium and is on track to reach about 267 points through current projects. The report said Fairfield has a projected 69.75 points toward another moratorium and could earn another 197.25 points from projects under construction, for a total of 267 points toward the 330 required.
“We think it’s important to not only have the moratorium, but extend the moratorium so we have the ability to plan for our future,” Barnhart said.
