The developer who is putting up 40 rental townhouses near the Stop & Shop is now asking the town for permission to build a nearly identical project about a mile and a half away.
Both Newington projects include provisions to set aside 30% of the units as state-designated “affordable” rates, and both fall under Connecticut’s 8-30g law to expand the supply of moderate-income housing.
Newington last fall approved the proposal from Patrick Snow’s Kitts Lane Apartments LLC to build two- and three-bedroom townhouses on a vacant parcel along Kitts Lane near the supermarket.
This month, Snow’s Premier Real Estate Services is seeking zoning permits to put up 41 townhouses on a 2.7-acre vacant lot at Louis Street and Pascone Place. These, too, would be two- and three-bedroom models.
A developer’s rendering of the planned 40 rental townhouses on Kitts Lane in Newington. (Courtesy of Town of Newington)
Snow’s Cromwell-based company has built commercial projects and has constructed rental housing in Berlin, New Britain and Bristol.
The Kitts Lane and Louis Street projects in Newington set aside enough units to qualify for 8-30g benefits.
The Louis Street units will be between two and three levels, attorney Timothy Hollister said in Premier’s zoning application.
“The two-bedroom units will range from 1,100 to 1,125 square feet and the three-bedroom units will be 1,275 square feet,” he wrote.
At Louis Street, he would commit to a 40-year restriction on rents for 13 units. His plan is for six townhouses to be leased at rates considered affordable for tenants earning just 60% of the area’s median income; another seven would be priced for people making up to 80% of that average.
Under 8-30g, developers can raise protected rents only enough to keep up with federal affordability guidelines. Based on 2025 income figures, a two-bedroom townhouse aimed at the 60% affordability level would mean a maximum household income of $67,284 and a maximum monthly rent of $1,503, according to Snow’s application.
A rendering of the Louis Lane townhouses that Pat Snow plans in Newington. (Courtesy of Town of Newington)
For people making 80% of the average income, permissible income as well as monthly rents would be significantly higher. A two-bedroom townhouse would be available to households with income up to $89,712, with rent at $1,834. A three-bedroom unit would have a household income cap of $103,668, with a monthly rent of $2,216.
The 8-30g law essentially exempts affordable housing developers from most traditional zoning rules, allowing towns to reject proposals only if they can provide a substantial public health or safety risk. The law applies to towns with less than 10% of their housing stock designated as affordable; Newington was listed at just under 8.6% in 2023.
Connecticut suburbs and small towns have seen a wave of 8-30g applications in the past two years as developers seek the law’s protections. Despite the affordability requirement, they remain free to price the other 70% of their projects at market rates.
“The subject property is an ideal location for a multi-family development,” Hollister wrote of the Louis Street plan. “It is proximate to restaurants, a grocery store, gyms, and a variety of commercial retail uses at the Turnpike Plaza and 3001 Berlin Tpke shopping centers.”
He noted that walking trails, sports fields, and a public swimming pool are nearby, along with two CT Transit bus stops.
A public hearing will be continued on the issue at the commission’s next meeting on Feb. 11.
