Local officials rejected a suggestion to convert a vacant property into affordable housing for seniors. The limited agenda represents a stark retreat for leaders who began the year with bold pledges to tackle Connecticut’s affordable housing crisis. Aside from legislation, the governor can still influence the housing debate through the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority, where his appointees decide how to direct public funding to construct affordable housing. Some said they feared affordable housing would not fit in with the neighborhood. Plans to develop Cohanzie Elementary School into affordable housing units drew protests from neighborhood residents and were abandoned.