we’ re not making enough of those anymore,” says Whitten.“ People have been talking about the influx of buyers coming into Rhode Island from Massachusetts because it’ s a little bit more affordable. However, people aren’ t talking about the people who are moving out of the state because there’ s nothing to buy.”
Since 2021, the state has been doing everything it can to reverse the escalator. The General Assembly has passed nearly fifty housing bills and created the state’ s first-ever permanent funding stream for affordable housing production. Last year, voters overwhelmingly passed a $ 120 million bond to fund affordable housing, homeownership programs and housing infrastructure. This year, Governor Dan McKee consolidated the state’ s housing policymaking and planning under the Executive Office of Housing. In April, the state rolled out Housing 2030, a new plan setting a five-year goal of permitting 15,000 housing units.
“ It about doubles the production for a five-year period, and we think it’ s enough to bend the arc on rent and home ownership price increases,” says Secretary of Housing Deborah Goddard.“ It’ s a stretch, but I think we can get there.”
Goddard, the department’ s fourth leader since McKee established it in June 2022, and a Cabinet member since March, says coordinating the efforts of the state’ s various housing financing, development and nongovernmental organizations is critical to making that happen.
“ There’ s one point of accountability and responsibility, and it all works for transparency and efficiency,” she says.
SOME CITIES HAVE EMBRACED the mission. In the last four years, East Providence has reformed its land-use ordinances to create overlay districts in some of its commercial corridors, which permit mixed uses by right, greater density and lower off-street parking requirements. It has aggressively courted commercial and nonprofit developers such as Stop Wasting Abandoned Property to build affordable housing on some of its most blighted parcels.
The city has been so successful, its ceremonial scissors have become dull with all the ribbon-cuttings. Currently, the city is working with One Neighborhood Builders and several social service agencies to develop a three-building campus
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