Posted inHousing, Local, Politics

In D.C., Speaker Shekarchi says Rhode Island can be an incubator for housing policy

During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, Rhode Island House Speaker Joe Shekarchi discussed the housing crisis enveloping many states – and asked for more federal help to address it. With such an impactful and widespread problem, Shekarchi said, “I respectfully request that Congress provide states with greater funding mechanisms and grant opportunities […]

Posted inHousing, Local

A RI town manager on how the state should, and shouldn’t, spur more housing

From the urban core to the beachfront, Rhode Island is looking for solutions to its housing crisis. At the statehouse, there’s been some pressure on cities and towns to change their zoning laws to allow more housing. But there has also been pushback.  For our series Zoned Out: How local zoning hurts efforts to solve […]

Posted inHousing, Local

How racist restrictions in housing deeds helped shape where Rhode Islanders live today

Mark Brown was flipping through property records in Warwick City Hall when he encountered something unexpected. As part of his volunteer work with the local historic cemetery commission, he was looking to see if a small cemetery had a right-of-way attached to it.  What he found in a deed from 1940 for a neighboring house […]

Posted inHousing, Local, South County Bureau

How large-lot zoning contributes to Rhode Island’s big housing shortfall

The corner of Gardiner and Ten Rod Roads in Exeter looks a lot like a place to take a hike. It’s wooded, quiet, and abuts 26 acres of densely grown trees.  “It certainly would make a great nature preserve,” Colin Penney, executive director of South County Habitat for Humanity, said on a recent visit to […]

Posted inHousing, Local

HousingWorks RI’s Brenda Clement on addressing zoning challenges at the local level

Housing costs in Rhode Island continue to explode, thanks in part to a lack of supply. One reason there isn’t enough housing: local zoning laws limit what can be built where.  For our series Zoned Out: How local zoning hurts efforts to solve Rhode Island’s decades-long housing shortage, The Public’s Radio’s Dave Fallon interviewed Brenda […]

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