Rhode
Island,
like
other
states
nationwide,
is
grappling
with
a
housing
affordability
crisis.​

State
lawmakers
are
now
on
their
sixth
legislative
package
to
strengthen
efforts
to
improve
housing
affordability.
This
time,
the
package
includes
reviving
boarding
houses
and
co-living.

Like
California,
Florida,
and
Texas,
the
nation’s
smallest
state
has
faced
a
housing
shortage
even
as
new
homes
are
being
built.

To
shorten
construction
timelines,
those
states
have
passed
laws
that
supersede
local
governments,
cut
red
tape,
and
change
zoning
to
make
it
easier
for
builders
to
develop
ground-up
homes.

Rhode
Island
House
Speaker
Joseph
Shekarchi
has
shepherded
five
previous
packages
as
the
state
has
sought
to
address
housing
affordability
challenges.

“Our
advocacy
is
working,”
Shekarchi
said
in
a
news
conference
last
week
in
Providence.
“Rhode
Island
is
becoming
a
model
for
housing
policy
in
other
states.
We’ve
passed
more
than
60
new
housing
laws
that
are
having
real
results.”​

He
cited
a
70%
increase
in
building
permits
in
2023,
the
largest
since
the
Great
Recession.
He
also
noted
that
construction
takes
time.

“We
are
still
trying
to
play
catch-up
for
all
the
years
that
Rhode
Island
was
dead
last
in
the
country
for
new
housing
starts,”
he
added.​

Rhode
Island’s
housing
woes

Rhode
Island’s
chronic
underbuilding
created
a
severe
housing
shortage
and
pushed
vacancy
rates
and
inventory
to
historic
lows.
Prices
and
rents
climbed
as
too
many
people
competed
for
too
few
homes.
Families
now
face
intense
competition
for
every
halfway
decent
listing.

The
median
single-family
home
price
is
around
$500,000,
far
beyond
what
most
local
incomes
can
support.
Many
longtime
residents
cannot
compete
with
higher-earning
or
cash
buyers.
Homeownership
feels
increasingly
out
of
reach
for
typical
Rhode
Islanders.

Renters
face
similar
pressure,
as
average
two-bedroom
apartments
require
incomes
near
$60,000.
Typical
renter
incomes
hover
around
$48,000.
Many
households
pay
well
above
30%
of
their
income
just
to
stay
housed.

Speeding
up
housing
affordability
options

State
Rep.
June
Speakman,
chair
of
the
House
Commission
on
Housing
Affordability,
introduced
legislation
late
Friday
to
re-legalize
single-room
occupancy
and
co-living
housing.

The
legislation
is
modeled
on
a
template
that
the
Institute
for
Justice
began
urging
states
to
introduce
in
December.
Speakman’s
bill
marks
the
first
for
the
nonprofit
public-interest
law
firm’s
“Restoring
Options
in
Occupancy
Models
Act.”

“We
will
make
better
use
of
vacant
spaces
and
buildings,”
Speakman
said.​

Her
legislation,
titled
the

ROOM
Act,
defines
co-living
properties,
sleeping
units
and
co-living
occupancy
agreements.
It
would
require
municipalities
to
allow
co-living
by
right
in
single-family,
multifamily,
commercial
and
mixed-use
zones
where
residential
use
is
permitted.

The
bill
would
bar
discretionary
reviews
and
limit
local
rules
governing
density
counts,
bulk
and
design
standards,
parking
–
especially
near
transit
–
and
occupancy
limits
based
on
personal
characteristics.

The
legislation
would
preempt
conflicting
local
zoning
and
certain
code
requirements
while
preserving
landlord-tenant
protections.
It
sets
a
Jan.
1,
2027,
deadline
for
local
compliance
and
allows
lawsuits,
with
the
city
paying
attorneys’
fees
if
it
loses.

A
full
slate
of
bills
addressing
housing
affordability

Rhode
Island
lawmakers
have
a
full
slate
of
bills
aimed
at
unlocking
more
housing
in
existing
communities.
They
address
how
lots
can
be
split,
how
much
parking
cities
can
require,
how
small
apartment
buildings
can
be
designed,
and
how
governments
can
reuse
vacant
land
and
buildings.

One
bill
would
allow
property
owners
in
areas
with
water
and
sewer
capacity
to
create
new
house
lots
under
defined
rules,
opening
more
sites
for
single-family
homes.
Another
would
cap
the
amount
of
parking
cities
can
require
for
multifamily
projects
near
transit,
supporting
more
homes
rather
than
more
asphalt.

A
separate
proposal
would
amend
the
building
code
to
allow
developers
to
use
a
single
staircase
in
residential
buildings
up
to
four
stories
and
16
units,
while
still
meeting
all
fire
safety
standards.
Lawmakers
are
also
advancing
a
measure
to
allow
state-owned
vacant
buildings
to
become
housing
by
right,
making
it
easier
for
cities
and
towns
to
convert
empty
municipal
buildings,
including
schools,
into
new
homes.

The
legislation
mirrors
what
other
states
are
doing
regarding
parking
requirements
near
transit.
Illinois,
for
example,
took
a
similar
step
last
year,
joining
states
such
as
California
and
Colorado.

Shifting
regulations
on
single-stair
construction
for
small
apartment
buildings
align
with
a
growing
national
trend.

Can
this
approach
succeed?

The
state’s
debate
over
how
to
address
housing
affordability
comes
as
council
members
in
the
capital
city

consider
capping
apartment
rent
increases
at
4%
a
year.
Rhode
Island’s
package
would
give
the
state
more
tools
to
loosen
zoning,
cut
process
delays,
and
revive
lower-cost
housing
types,
such
as
SROs
and
co-living.
The
jury
is
still
out
on
how
well
other
states’
laws
are
working.

In
many
cases,
local
governments
have
their
own
processes
for
complying
with
new
state
housing
laws.
They
have
also
resisted
changes
that
curb
local
control.
Rhode
Island
is
not
immune
to
local
resistance,
although,
for
now,
it
appears
lighter
than
in
many
other
states.