2.) Project Description Like much of Connecticut, the Town of Groton has experienced significant housing issues related to lack of supply, high housing costs, and a mismatch of housing types and housing preferences. These issues are made more acute by the Town’s status as a host community for SUBASE New London as both servicemembers stationed at the base and civilian workers who support military operations depend on local housing stock to serve their needs. Beyond housing issues directly related to those at SUBASE New London, the Town strives to ensure that housing needs of the military and military-adjacent activities are not in conflict with local housing needs of non-military residents. By approaching the needs of these two populations, the consultant will enable the Town to better serve the housing needs of all that call Groton home or wish to call it home. Specifically, the project’s focus on studying and implementing strategies to increase middle density housing types (“Missing Middle Housing”) that are appropriate in scale, compatibility, and need in Groton. In the Town’s most recent Housing Market Study, completed in 2023, it was determined that the Town needs over 6,000 additional units to meet demand – indicating that current development trends alone cannot sufficiently supply housing at the scale required. The Town has a dwindling supply of suitable land for large multifamily developments and seeks to focus this project on infill solutions such as accessory dwelling units, duplexes, triplexes, cottage courts, and other similar housing types. By focusing efforts on these housing types, the Town may better serve existing neighborhoods that are connected to infrastructure, are in close proximity to services, and are would be served positively by introducing a healthier mix of housing types and tenures. Ensuring that there is adequate community engagement and buy in shall be critical to executing tasks laid out in this RFP. 2.1) Project Components The consultant or team of consultants hired through this solicitation will lead the development of the following project components with support from town staff and a steering committee, should the need for such a committee be determined to be exigent to the project: Task H1: Grant Administration • Monthly check-in meeting • Monthly progress reporting Task H2: Update of Future Housing Demand and Supply Overview: The Town and its consultants have completed multiple studies/reports of housing need in the past. While these documents have assisted the Town in quantifying need in Groton, job markets and housing markets do not function solely within municipal boundaries. A greater geographic and data scope is required to understand how housing demand exists from a regional market perspective.
