Miscellany
After four years of litigation, the
Connecticut Supreme Court
recently struck down an East
Hampton, Conn. law that
required all new homes to be a
minimum of 1,300 square feet.
The suit, first filed by a private
party, was joined by the
Connecticut Homebuilders
Association, and it received support
and funding from the
NAHB in Washington, D.C.
Bill Ethier, litigation counsel
for NAHB, followed the case
closely. "At NAHB," he
explained, "our number one issue
is affordable housing, and we are
happy to work for the defeat of
any unnecessary regulations,
because all they do is increase
housing costs.
"People in East Hampton
expected that the minimumsquare-
footage exclusionary rule
would protect the value of existing
homes, but as any economist
will tell you, that isn't