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Lawmakers hope bill package will ease Rhode Island's housing crisis

By The Associated Press
Biden Administration Pushes Infrastructure Bill Costing Over $2 Trillion PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND-APRIL 08: A home is shown boarded up on April 08, 2021 in Providence, Rhode Island. Rhode Island in 2019 ranked worst among the 50 states in the condition of its infrastructure, and consistently ranks among the bottom, with an estimated 24 percent of its roads in poor condition and 23 percent of its bridges standing structurally deficient. Looking to reshape the U.S. economy, President Joe Biden unveiled a $2-trillion jobs, infrastructure and green energy plan called the American Jobs Plan. The administration says the proposal would create tens of thousands of jobs in construction, clean energy and technology. Many economists, engineers and politicians believe that infrastructure in the U.S. lags behind China and other leading nations. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
By The Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi is pushing a package of more than a dozen bills aimed at addressing the state’s ongoing housing crisis

One proposal would give homeowners the right to develop accessory dwelling units for family members with a disability or on any lot larger than 20,000 square feet (1,858 square meters), provided the design satisfies building codes.

Another would allow manufactured homes that are constructed according to federal housing regulations to be an alternative to so-called “stick-built” wood frame homes where single-family housing is permitted.

Yet another bill would make clear that residential use is allowed in commercial and industrial zones unless public health or other safety concerns would prohibit the construction of homes.

Shekarchi said he wants Rhode Island to be a state where families can raise their children, where young people can live near their parents and hometowns, and where seniors can age in place with dignity.

“Unfortunately, Rhode Island does not have enough housing supply to keep up with demand,” he said in a statement. “Too many years of being dead last in the country for new housing permits have caught up with us.”

The proposals are the latest attempt to help ease the tightening housing market and soaring cost of living in Rhode Island, a shortage that is being felt in other nearby states including Massachusetts.

Gov. Dan McKee last year signed a series of housing bills that lawmakers created to help jump-start housing production in the state.

One bill signed into law by McKee would allow the reuse of commercial structures, such as mills, factories, hospitals, malls, churches, and schools, into high-density residential developments without the need to go before a municipal planning board for a zone change.

The law doesn’t take away the municipal review and permitting process for such developments, backers said.

McKee also wants Rhode Island voters to weigh in on four long-term ballot initiatives addressing infrastructure when they head to the polls in November.

One of the plans would let the state borrow $100 million to increase affordable and middle-income housing production, support community revitalization and promote home ownership, according to the administration.

The median price of single-family homes in Rhode Island hit $450,000 in August 2023, a more than 11% increase over the prior year according to the Rhode Island Association of Realtors.

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