On the day he filed to run for an historic third term, Gov. Ned Lamont unveiled a sweeping bill to address Connecticut’s housing crisis. State lawmakers will vote on the new plan in a special session next week.

It comes five months after the governor vetoed an even more ambitious package.

“We’re not walking away,” Lamont said on Friday. “We all agreed that, when you talk about affordability, you talk about opportunity, it really starts with housing.”

The earlier legislation faced fierce backlash from local leaders and even some of Lamont’s fellow Democrats, especially from wealthier suburbs in Fairfield County. It required each town to hit a “Fair Share” housing quota.

That’s now gone.

Instead, nine Councils of Government will come up with regional housing targets – or communities can come up with their own plan instead.

But any housing plan will need state approval – and towns that don’t craft one at all will lose the right to apply for 8-30g moratoriums - that’s the law that allows developers to bypass local zoning laws in towns with a lack of affordable housing.

Parking has been another sticking point. Under the new proposal, buildings with fewer than 16 units won’t be required to have any parking spots. (The earlier bill set the number at 24 units). That makes it easier to build on smaller lots. And units with one bedroom will only be required to have one parking spot. Two or more bedrooms get an extra spot.

There are exceptions for congested zones that need more parking.

“If you’re a local official, as I am, you’re breathing a sigh of relief,” said Mark Lauretti, Shelton’s Republican mayor.

Dozens of mayors and first selectmen, from both bigger cities and small towns, joined Lamont to back the new proposal. Communities that build more housing, especially around transit stations, will qualify for new state funding for water and sewer systems, as well as schools.

“The mayors and first selectmen really appreciated listening to what we needed,” said Stratford Mayor Hoydick, another Republican. “The regional aspect of it is so critical.”

Housing advocates called the bill a “compromise,” but stressed that more work needs to be done.

“Is it everything we hoped for? No,” said Community Housing Advocates CEO Karen Capone. “But that’s what happens when you have to compromise.”

The Democratic leader in the Connecticut House, who has pushed for new housing legislation for years, said the bill is progress.

"It’s not a painfully incremental bill,” said state Rep. Jason Rojas (D-East Hartford). “It really reflects a lot of progress, and it gives us the ability to really move forward. I’m less concerned about how we got here, and I’m more focused on the road ahead.”

GOP lawmakers were excluded from negotiations and are undecided about supporting the package next week.

“It’s definitely better than what we saw, [House Bill] 5002, back during session,” said state Rep. Tony Scott (R-Monroe), the top Republican on the Legislature’s Housing Committee.

But Scott still has concerns, especially over a section making it easier to convert commercial properties to apartments with no local approval or public hearing.

“Just because it’s a commercial property doesn’t mean that a residential property makes any sense there,” he said. “It could be next to, you know, a marijuana store. You know, a dispensary.”

State lawmakers will vote on the bill – and several others regarding the Trump administration and UConn Health’s purchase of Waterbury Hospital – during a special session next Wednesday and Thursday.

“I stated at the outset that I would not support a weak housing bill,” said Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff (D-Norwalk). “I hope the next time it won’t take 10 months to negotiate a bill on one of the top affordability issues facing our state.”