Groton is in need of more than 6,000 additional new homes to accommodate a rise in staff at Electric Boat and the Naval Submarine Base.
The town is partnering with environmental consulting firm Horsley Witten Group to commission a study which will determine the best way to increase Groton鈥檚 housing stock, according to Jeff Davis, the group鈥檚 senior planner.
鈥淎 lot of the people who are taking these jobs are choosing not to live in Groton, which means you have a lot of commuters and not as many people as the town might hope to settle in, make roots and become part of the civic community in Groton,鈥� Davis said.
Electric Boat and the sub base are bringing more people to the area, but the lack of housing prevents employees from living in Groton, Davis said.
One of the drivers of the need for more housing is the decrease in household size, but adding more condos, townhomes and apartments will boost affordability.
鈥淚f there are more opportunities for housing in that range, they tend to be more naturally affordable, and they tend to meet needs for smaller households,鈥� Davis said. 鈥淎s we've seen throughout the region and including in Groton, household sizes are shrinking.鈥�
The study's recommendations will build on the existing relationship between Groton and the Naval Submarine Base.
"A lot of the housing that the Navy has already built meets the definition of missing middle housing," Davis said. "There are a number of three units, four units, up to six units attached throughout these neighborhoods. They work. They provide a really great alternative for, not only people who work at the Navy, but anyone if there are extra housing on a given year it becomes available to the general public."
Groton has a population of about 39,000 people, and about 27,000 people are employed in the town.
However, they live elsewhere, according to the town鈥檚 Director of Planning and Development Services Jonathan Reiner.
鈥淥f those 27,000 jobs, 82% of those people commute here. So we have a really high commuting pattern of people,鈥� Reiner said. 鈥淚t's a lot of commuters, a lot of driving. It's a lot of impact, greenhouse gasses and other things.鈥�
The study is being funded by the Department of Defense Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. It will determine which types of housing would be best for Groton and where it should be constructed. Research from the study will also be used to make recommendations for local zoning changes.
In 2021, the town conducted a housing study that found Groton was in need of about 4,000 housing units. determined the need was closer to 6,500, Reiner said.
鈥淲ith prices going up and rents going up, it's putting the squeeze on a lot of our traditional middle income families,鈥� Reiner said. 鈥淗ow can we get to this missing middle housing? The housing that is not subsidized by the government, that's not high end, but just somewhere in kind of that middle price point.鈥�
A public meeting for residents鈥� input will be scheduled for this fall, with the report to be completed by next summer.
"What makes this project so exciting is that we鈥檙e not starting from scratch. Groton has a rich history of responding to local housing needs,鈥� Groton Land Use Planner Bryce Kelly said. 鈥淭his history, combined with the expertise and ingenuity of Horsley Witten and their team, will undoubtedly help the town make meaningful steps towards filling the gaps in housing development."
