[JViello]

Builders can't survive in CT on doing "affordable smaller homes". That's the bottom line. Period. End of story. I know this, for fact. One or two custom homes, yes. A neighborhood? No. Many have tried and failed in either the project or went bankrupt.

Thats why you see these new 1600sf homes that are duplexes. Together they make a 3200sf unit.

[Appias]

I wouldn't rely too heavily on an "article" that is basically a bunch of opinions. The mission statement of the website is "HOMEConnecticut is a statewide campaign aimed at increasing the stock of affordable housing in Connecticut." That is a pretty good summary of the thrust of the piece. The concept that young people are leaving because we don't have enough multi family housing is pure conjecture.
The long and short of it is, in CT you pay a lot but you also get a lot. If what you get isn't of interest to you or if the positives don't outweigh the negatives then it's time to move. Given the population density it would seem that location, opportunities and amenities are worth the trade off for many people.

[tryingtomakeitinCT]

Originally Posted by Appias

I wouldn't rely too heavily on an "article" that is basically a bunch of opinions. The mission statement of the website is "HOMEConnecticut is a statewide campaign aimed at increasing the stock of affordable housing in Connecticut." That is a pretty good summary of the thrust of the piece. The concept that young people are leaving because we don't have enough multi family housing is pure conjecture.
The long and short of it is, in CT you pay a lot but you also get a lot. If what you get isn't of interest to you or if the positives don't outweigh the negatives then it's time to move. Given the population density it would seem that location, opportunities and amenities are worth the trade off for many people.

Slowing Connecticut

[Stratford, Ct. Resident]

Originally Posted by JViello

Builders can't survive in CT on doing "affordable smaller homes". That's the bottom line. Period. End of story. I know this, for fact. One or two custom homes, yes. A neighborhood? No. Many have tried and failed in either the project or went bankrupt.
Thats why you see these new 1600sf homes that are duplexes. Together they make a 3200sf unit.

Originally Posted by tryingtomakeitinCT

That land, IMO would go to better use for affordable housing in CT.

You do realize that in many cities in the state, a home and the land underneath it can be purchased for significantly less than the cost to build a similarly sized new home.
As an example, read this article:DECD: $2.1 Million for Affordable Housing in New Canaan. 24 units of "affordable" housing at a total construction cost of............HOW MUCH??!!!!?????

Think about it.

[Appias]

Tryingtomakeit,
The article you link to is a politician opinion piece that is over two years old. When I tried to find the primary data on the OPM website it says "The requested article is no longer published." Do you have any primary sources you can link to?

[JViello]

Originally Posted by Stratford, Ct. Resident

24 units of "affordable" housing at a total construction cost of............HOW MUCH??!!!!?????

Think about it.

LOL Maybe that's "affordable" for New Canaan. LOL

[tryingtomakeitinCT]

Originally Posted by Appias

Tryingtomakeit,
The article you link to is a politician opinion piece that is over two years old. When I tried to find the primary data on the OPM website it says "The requested article is no longer published." Do you have any primary sources you can link to?

Sure do! See the link below:

http://www.yankeeinstitute.org/wp-co...tionReport.pdf

[JViello]

Originally Posted by tryingtomakeitinCT

Sure do! See the link below:

http://www.yankeeinstitute.org/wp-co...tionReport.pdf

I often wonder what's with you being so happy to point out "bad information" about where you live. One would think it's a sad thing, not a happy face thing...but whatever.

I'm a fan of the Yankee Insitute but that study is full of bad info and that, just from skimming over it.

For instance...they claim CT lost population from 91-08 by stating 325,000 or whatever moved away. Well the NET result is we gained I believe 2% so while people are moving away, we still have a net gain in population.

And they also base info on "migration" Yet when you go to the bottom and see the methodology, it says this:

If the address is different in Year 2 from Year 1, then the taxpayer is classified as a “migrant;” otherwise, the taxpayer is classified as a “non-migrant.”

Oh, so if my address went from say Meriden to Manchester, I'm a "migrant".

Facts and figures can be twisted into whatever the author wishes them to be for the most part. The sooner you figure that out, the sooner you might find yourself "makingitinct" rather than "trying".

[Lowerdeck]

I recently had applied for a job in Danbury. During my interview, it was pretty much said I needed 14 dollars an hour at 40 hours a week just to scrape by and survive.

Which well... when minimum wage is only 8 an hour - a lot of places aren't going to be paying more than 14 to a college grad in the mid 20s, when there's plenty of more experienced workers available on the market that are even willing to take under 14 an hour.


The only true affordable place in Connecticut is up by Putnam and Danielson. But you pay for what you get, far to any major city and severe lack of jobs - especially white collar.

No wonder half of my friends and acquaintances are unemployed or underemployed. The rest moved to FL, NC, CA, and Vegas.

[Appias]

When you're in your 20's and a recent college grad, it's a good idea career wise to live near a major job center. In CT I'd recommend either Hartford or Stamford for those staring out. The job market is difficult everywhere for soft science careers right now. If you are just starting out and have a degree in something like nursing you're golden. Business? It's much more difficult. Again, that is not just in CT but throughout the country.