The Rise of Walkability: How Walkable Neighborhoods in CT are Defining the Market

Main Street through Chester, CT - Photo by VisitCT

 

Most of our daily routines look like this: we drive to work each morning, and drive back in the evening. The school bus drives our kids to school each day. When we shop for groceries, we load them into our cars and drive them home. In other words, we lead car-centric lives; most of what we do requires getting into an automobile first.

Increasingly many renters and buyers, though, are questioning this sticky cultural habit. They’re instead demanding housing in walkable neighborhoods, often trading typical priorities like square footage for proximity. And, they’re willing to pay for it: both rents and purchase prices can be up to 50% higher than in comparable driving-oriented suburbs.

Denser town centers have experienced outsized growth in value and popularity, even after the pandemic encouraged us to spread ourselves apart. The scarcity of these areas only drives prices up, but Americans continue to flock to them.

 

Why are people willing to pay so much for walkability?

Much evidence suggests that it simply makes us happier. People living in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to know their neighbors, support local businesses, and spend time outdoors, while less likely to get stuck in traffic jams and live sedentary lives. The places we love to visit (which presumably make us the happiest) – Thames Street in Newport, RI., the East Village in Manhattan, or Back Bay in Boston – are all highly walkable places.

Instead of visiting these types of places, many are deciding they’d rather just… live there.

 

Walkability does more than just improve our own lives, though; walkable neighborhoods have proven to benefit society as a whole. Residents here maintain smaller carbon footprints, for example. They’re also more equitable, allowing those without access to a vehicle – children, the elderly, disabled people – access to the amenities of day-to-day life. And, they stimulate far more economic growth than their suburban counterparts.

 

It’s clear that people want to live in walkable neighborhoods, for good reason. It’s good for themselves, and their communities, in a variety of ways. It goes without saying that with the housing shortage we have today, we need to be building (much) more, and we should be filling that need with walkable neighborhoods. So, why aren’t we?

A simple answer: it’s illegal.

 

Barriers to Change

Even as demand for housing in walkable neighborhoods builds, new construction on the Main Streets of Connecticut is rare. The reality is that zoning laws in the vast majority of the state’s towns prohibit the dense, mixed-use development that an area needs to become walkable.

Changing it isn’t easy, either – existing residents just don’t want to see new residential construction. Fears of loss of community character and cuts to existing home values overshadow positives, stifling the already-slow process.

 

Low-density, car-centric design is deeply ingrained in our codes and culture, making changing the status quo difficult.

 

But, a few CT cities are starting to allow developers to capitalize on demand. The Byline, a 48-unit project set to be completed in early 2025, highlights its proximity to walkable West Hartford Center & Blue Back Square. The Brit, a 107-apartment mixed-use building in New Britain with completion anticipated this year, emphasizes its walkable, downtown location as a primary selling point to renters on its website.

Downtown New Britain, CT - Photo by Kenneth C. Zirkel

 

In Milford, CT, the city’s planning & zoning committee approved the development of 50 apartment units by Metro Star Properties after creating plans for downtown revitalization. The mixed-use project will create housing to accompany the many shops & restaurants in the town’s core. The company, described as ‘bullish on downtown Milford’ already has five developments in the area, touting their highly-walkable locations to attract interest.

Downtown Milford, CT - Photo by Fadein

 

Strides Forward

Building in Connecticut's downtowns can be challenging, but many are seeing the potential upside in walkable communities.

Avner Krohn, the CEO of Jasko Development, the development firm behind the two Hartford County projects, highlights the need for backing from regulators and the community. “In today’s day and age, without public participation, the projects really don’t pencil out.”

 

Interested in living in a walkable neighborhood in CT? Get in touch with one of our experienced local agents to find a home perfect for your lifestyle!