Rhode Island Senate will vote on faith-based affordable housing bill

A bill would allow faith-based organizations to develop affordable and mixed-use housing on land they own as a by-right use. The measure would establish statewide development standards, restrict local approval barriers, and streamline permitting. Senate prospects are described as strong, with solid support expected to move the bill out of committee and a general pattern of passage once it reaches the Senate floor. Related House legislation has not advanced, including proposals legalizing single-room occupancy and incentivizing commercial-to-residential conversions. The legislative session timing has been disrupted by the resignation of House Speaker Joe Shekarchi, with his replacement considered more liberal, leaving uncertainty about how quickly major bills will move. A House housing affordability chair and sponsor is viewed as influential and experienced in applying evidence-based housing policy.

"State Rep. June Speakman, who chairs the House Commission on Housing Affordability and sponsored the legislation, could be pivotal. Representative Speakman is certainly a housing champion in Rhode Island, Brown said. She's been studying the housing crisis from multiple angles for several years now and really working to bring national best practices and evidence-based policy to Rhode Island to also respond to issues in the market and"

Read at www.housingwire.com