Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan - Existing Conditions | Page 72

Newport Comprehensive Land Use Plan

The majority of these units are in Newport Heights, Bayside Village, Broadway West, Festival Field, Rolling Green
Village, and Park Holm. These types of facilities are typically located in areas that have higher poverty densities than
the rest of the city. Map 5-6 highlights the people per acre in Newport that are living in poverty.
Any housing that is owned by the Housing Authority of the City of Newport (HACN) is exempt from property taxes, as
stated in Rhode Island State law. The Housing Authority of the City of Newport comprises 31.01% of the total assisted
housing units. Any Church Community Housing Corporation (CCHC) units are also exempt. In total, 31.77% of the
housing is exempt from taxes. Other assisted housing that is privately owned pays property taxes to the City of
Newport. The total tax assessed in 2013 for assisted housing was $977,104. Table 5-13 displays the tax information
for these developments from the year 2013.
A variety of city, state, and federal programs are utilized to provide affordable rental opportunities in Newport. These
programs likewise provide a variety of subsidies for the creation and leasing of affordable units and include both
publicly and privately owned subsidized housing and Section Eight existing housing.
Local, public housing is governed by the HACN, operating under authority of City Housing Authorities RIGL § 45-25.
Currently, public housing in Newport serves three principal groups meeting federal income eligibility requirements:
units for low/moderate-income families, senior housing units for elderly, and those for special needs. As of 2013
according to Rhode Island Housing Corporation 1,854 affordable units are located throughout the City of Newport. As
of 2013, HACN has completed the construction of 575 subsidized units through four phases of the Newport Heights
project.

Inclusionary Zoning

Cities that wish to make affordable housing more prevalent within their borders may adopt an inclusionary zoning
measure in their code of ordinances. Inclusionary zoning programs vary from city to city, but in general they require a
certain percentage of new construction to include housing to be affordable for people with low to moderate incomes.
At present time, Newport doesn’t have an inclusionary zoning ordinance in place.
Rents in public housing are not determined by the size of the unit, but by the residents’ ability to pay. They are set at
30% of a resident's family income and are adjusted annually. Income limits are established by HUD and administered
through Rhode Island Housing: The most current information regarding affordable housing can be found at the
Rhode Island Housing Corporation website:
http://www.rhodeislandhousing.org. http://www.housingworksri.org/affordable-housing/2014

Page 5-18

Draft Existing Conditions (March 2016)