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CHAPTER 4 – HOUSING
Introduction
Shelter is a basic human need, and the character of a community and its neighborhoods is defined in no small measure by the amount, type, cost, location and pattern of housing. Typically the single most predominant land use in a community, housing is also a principal indicator of a community's quality of life. In addition, housing characteristics such as age, quality and density often influence local governmental decisions regarding expenditures on transportation, education, utilities and other capital improvements. This chapter summarizes a number of key characteristics of Bristol's existing housing stock and seeks to address potential housing needs for the future.
Sources of Information
- 1989 Bristol Plan of Development
- Community Attitudes Survey and Workshops
- Bristol Development Authority
- Bristol Housing Authority
- Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development
- U. S. Census Bureau
- U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
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Key Findings, Conclusions and Issues
The majority of Bristol's housing stock was built before 1969. Approximately 18% of Bristol's owner-occupied units and 32% of its renter-occupied units were built before World War II (1939 or earlier). Almost one-quarter (nearly 6,000) of the housing units in Bristol – whether owned, rented or vacant – were built before 1939. (See Figure 4-1.)
Between 1980 and 1990, the total number of housing units in Bristol increased by nearly 4,000. This growth occurred in every housing category, most significantly in single-family attached structures, primarily condominiums. Between 1990 and 1997, the total number of housing units in Bristol continued to increase (by more than 700), but this growth was fueled by the rise in the number of single-family detached structures. When compared to the balance of the Central Connecticut region, Bristol's housing market has remained relatively strong. (See Figure 4-2.) |
- The median price of a single-family residence in Bristol in 1998 was $110,000.
- As of 1990, close to 40 percent of occupied housing units in Bristol were renter occupied.
- In 1990, approximately 11 percent of Bristol's homeowners and 33 percent of Bristol's renters earning less than $35,000 annually paid more than 30 percent of their monthly income for housing costs.
- As of 1999, 13.7 percent of Bristol's housing stock was considered affordable, based upon the definition of "affordable housing" established under Section 8-39a of the Connecticut General Statutes.
- Lack of maintenance and upkeep, combined with the age of the housing stock, has contributed to deterioration of properties and increased the potential for neighborhood blight.
- Lack of owner occupancy of multi-family housing structures has contributed to neighborhood destabilization.
- As the number of elderly persons continues to grow (see Chapter 2), provisions for their specific housing needs must be addressed.
- The lack of affordable housing for the city's low-income and very-low-income households, including the elderly, continues to be a problem.
Goals, Policies and Recommendations
Goal:
Encourage the provision of decent, safe and sanitary housing to meet the social and economic needs of the city's population.
Policies:
1. Promote housing rehabilitation efforts that seek to preserve the supply of housing units in the city, in a manner that maintains the architectural integrity of existing structures.
2. Encourage alternative housing options for mature families ("empty-nesters") and senior citizens who no longer desire single-family housing, but who wish to remain in the city, in planned developments that offer a wide range of residential amenities or in other alternate living arrangements more appropriate for their stage of life (e.g., in-law apartments, congregate housing, life-care facilities). Encourage such housing in locations where services and mass transit are readily available.
3. Recognize, as one segment of the city's housing demand, the desire for large single-family lots.
4. Encourage owner-occupancy of multi-family dwellings, particularly the double- and triple-decker homes prevalent in the city's older neighborhoods.
5. Recognize as a public responsibility the encouragement of affordable housing opportunities for the elderly and for families and individuals that cannot afford current housing costs. Explore available programs of the local, state and federal governments that offer assistance in such housing.
6. Expand opportunities for young families to purchase "starter" housing within the city.
7. Encourage housing options such as group homes, emergency shelters, transitional housing and single-room-occupancy hotels for those individuals with special housing needs.
8. Require that government-funded or subsidized housing developments be held to the same design standards as privately developed housing. Consider each application on its merits with special attention given to neighborhood impacts.
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Figure 4-2. Number of Dwelling Units by Type of Structure, 1980, 1990 and 1997, City of Bristol, CT |
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1980 |
1990 |
1997 (est.) |
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UNITS LOCATED IN: |
No. of
Units |
Percent
of Total |
No. of
Units |
Percent
of Total |
No. of
Units |
Percent of Total |
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Single-family detached structures |
11,680 |
55.7% |
12,758 |
51.1% |
13,395 |
52.1% |
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Single-family attached structures (including townhouses) |
386 |
1.8% |
1,424 |
5.7% |
1,333 |
5.2% |
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2-unit structures |
2,677 |
12.7% |
2,926 |
11.7% |
2,847 |
11.1% |
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3- or 4-unit structures |
2,695 |
12.8% |
2,931 |
11.7% |
2,942 |
11.4% |
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5-or-more unit structures (including apartments and condominiums) |
3,505 |
16.7% |
4,316 |
17.3% |
4,532 |
17.6% |
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Mobile homes and other* |
61 |
0.3% |
634 |
2.5% |
679 |
2.6% |
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Total |
21,004 |
100.0% |
24,989 |
100.0% |
25,728 |
100.0% |
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*"Other" units include houseboats, campers, vans, tents and railroad cars and unidentified homes. In 1980, data on mobile homes and trailers were included only for year-round housing units; in 1990 these data were included for all housing units. |
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Sources: U.S. Census of Population; 1989 Bristol Plan of Development; CT Department of Economic and Community Development |
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