They never stop; they never will.

Just as anti-gun advocates called passage in 2013 of the strictest gun control law in the nation “a good start”, and proceeded to pour on even more restrictions in the following years, just as Democrats pass as many new entitlement programs they can and expand existing ones while they’re in power, knowing that entitlements are never ended even after they temporarily are replaced in the majority, only expanded, and know that when they’re back in control they’ll be able to continue their work, CT Democrats have chalked up the first step in achieving state control of municipal zoning codes and housing entitlement programs, and vow to keep expanding both. [Try diagramming that sentence — Ed.]

For advocates, newly signed CT housing bill is a culmination, but also just the start

Erin Boggs, executive director of Open Communities Alliance, began researching for the group's signature "Fair Share" housing proposal in 2014.

Peter Harrison, Connecticut director of the Regional Plan Association, has been advocating for transit-oriented development in the state for about five years and has pushed a specific "Work, Live, Ride" concept for the past three.

House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, has made housing his signature issue in one legislative session after another, negotiating with colleagues who often required significant convincing. 

All three, therefore, might have been entitled to a victory lap Monday as Gov. Ned Lamont held a ceremonial bill-signing for the most significant housing legislation Connecticut has seen in decades. And yet not one of them was quite ready to declare victory.

"The way this law is written, the devil is in the details," Boggs said, stressing that the new law's success, or lack thereof, will come down to implementation.

"For the advocates, the work is just starting," Harrison said.

"I tend to be one of those people that's like, 'All right, we got the work done, we've got to move on to the next work,'" Rojas said.

Among other provisions, House Bill 8002 asks municipalities to submit housing growth plans; rewards those whose plans meet certain standards; lets developers more easily convert commercial property for residential use; encourages development near public transit; bars parking minimums for small apartment complexes; expands the use of fair rent commissions; promotes construction of public housing and bans "hostile infrastructure" that prevents people who are homeless from sitting or lying down in public.

….Now, the bill's top supporters say, it's time to begin.

What's next?

…. Rojas declined to bask in the victory. 

"I don't want to seem unappreciative of what's happening," he said. "But I tend to, you know, celebrate and then move on."

What will moving on look like? Rojas said his next focus will be implementing the newly signed bill, as well as weighing possible changes to environmental regulations and building codes that he believes can slow housing production.

Boggs said she'll also focus on how the new legislation is implemented. That, she said, means making sure the state creates appropriate affordable housing targets for towns and opening new conversations with municipal leaders.

"There's a huge reliance on the good faith of municipalities to plan and zone for the affordable housing needs of Connecticut, and that's an open question whether that's going to work," she said.

Boggs said she also hopes to see legislation aimed at bolstering Connecticut's housing voucher program so more people can find housing that way.

"We've got a lot of work to do," [Harrison] said. "We're really excited."