You wanted to know whether, under Connecticut law, a municipality may cap the number of new housing units constructed within its limits. You also wanted to know whether Massachusetts or other states have laws to this effect. However, municipalities can take various steps to limit growth. For example, municipalities can change their zoning ordinances to reduce the number of units that can be built in an area.
Municipalities can impose conditions on approving subdivisions.
They also can restrict growth through their infrastructure policies, for example where and when they build new roads and sewer line extensions. Another approach for a municipality is to temporarily halt development through use of a moratorium on zoning changes or related measures. There are constitutional limits on the ability of municipalities to limit development. For example, while a municipality can change an area's zoning, thereby reducing its development potential, it cannot adopt a regulation that has the effect of precluding the property's owner from any economic use of the land. Municipalities also must comply with statutory requirements regarding the decision-making process, including timelines.