RI Lawmakers Introduce New Housing Bill Package

This marks the sixth consecutive year House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi has prioritized a legislative package aimed at Rhode Island's housing crisis. This long-term focus underscores the severity of a housing shortage that has been decades in the making and has left Rhode Island ranked last in the nation for per capita housing production in recent years. The state's housing affordability crisis directly impacts workforce retention and economic competitiveness. With 72% of the state's high-growth occupations not paying enough to afford a two-bedroom apartment, businesses face challenges in attracting and retaining talent. The rising cost of housing is a direct threat to the state's economic stability. For professionals in Woonsocket, the local numbers are stark. The median home sale price is approximately $399,900, while the median monthly rent is around $1,812. To comfortably purchase a home in the city, a household income of over $110,000 is estimated to be necessary, yet the median household income was last reported at $48,822. One of the nine new bills is sponsored by Woonsocket's own Rep. Stephen Casey, who chairs the House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing. His bill aims to streamline the process for property owners to subdivide lots for single-family homes in areas with existing water and sewer capacity, cutting local red tape to encourage development. Other bills in the package include proposals to establish a commission to study condominium affordability, create new tax incentives for building, and amend the state building code to allow for more cost-effective construction of smaller multi-family buildings. Another bill seeks to set maximum parking requirements for multifamily housing near public transit to reduce development costs. The legislative package also contains two bills aimed at the homelessness crisis, which has seen a nearly 50% increase from 2020 to 2022. One bill would require a 15-day notice before homeless encampments are disbanded, while the other would create a new category of emergency shelters, like the pallet communities in Providence, making them easier to establish in municipalities during emergencies. Following their introduction, the bills will be referred to House committees for public hearings. Given Rep. Casey's chairmanship, his bill will likely be heard in the House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing. If passed by the committee and the full House, the bills must then go through the same process in the Senate before heading to the Governor's desk.