Draft plan points the way to boost R.I housing production. But it will take a village to get there.
A construction worker retrieves plywood sheets lifted to the roof of the Ade Bethune House, a 54-unit affordable housing complex for seniors under construction on Bristol Ferry Road in Portsmouth on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Six one-bedroom units will be reserved for households at or below 30% of Area Median Income (AMI.) The remaining 34 one-bedroom units and 14 two-bedroom units will be for households at or below 60% of AMI. (Photo by Janine L. Weisman/Rhode Island Current)
Two months after setting a goal to permit 15,000 new homes within five years, Rhode Island housing officials have unveiled their road map to get there.
The vision is detailed in the Housing 2030 plan, which includes a call for the state to permit a minimum of 1,000 new homes priced below $400,000 each and build 1,695 new middle-market units. Additionally, the plan seeks to triple the number of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) permitted, increase multifamily homes by 50%, and finance 2,250 affordable rental units.
It's an ambitious plan, Gov. Dan McKee acknowledged during a State House press conference with Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard Wednesday afternoon. But he said change is needed after decades of stagnation.
'When housing production does not meet demand, and it has not met demand in some time, it puts a roadblock in what we call the road to prosperity,' McKee said.
The 76-page plan by the Department of Housing is still in draft form. Public comment will be open online through May 23, after which state officials will consider making any changes before final approval. A final plan will likely be published in the fall, Goddard told reporters.
Housing Department spokesperson Emily Marshall told Rhode Island Current the 2030 plan is designed to ensure 'that at least a certain number of units are created in each category.' More affordable homes may be added to the state's goal based on ongoing housing needs, she added.
The Rhode Island Department of Housing's plan notes home prices have increased 65% and rental prices have increased 60% since 2018, while wages have increased only 29%. From 2022-2024, less than 21% of new construction homes for sale were priced below $400,000, according to the 2030 plan.
All the while, few new homes have been permitted for construction. Between 2019 and 2023, fewer than 8,500 new homes received required state and local permits to begin construction in Rhode Island, according to a presentation from the Department of Housing.
A lot of the blame still lies on local zoning ordinances that favor single-family homes and prevent higher density structures from being built. State leaders have sought to reduce the red tape through legislative action over recent years, but some towns just haven't been on board.
Municipal leaders in Johnston, where about 7.9% of housing units are considered affordable, have pushed back against denser apartment buildings, citing concerns that an influx of families — and students — could strain local school systems and impact municipal budgets. Towns like Narragansett, where about 3.8% of housing units are considered affordable, have repeatedly blocked development of affordable multi-family homes because of potential impact on the 'character' of the town.
So what can the state do to get more towns on board? Set housing targets that make sense for each municipality, according to the Housing 2030 plan.
'We have not taken a one-size fits all approach,' Goddard said.
The 2030 plan calls for the Department of Housing and the Division of Statewide Planning to look over each community's comprehensive plans — the guiding documents for each municipality's zoning and land use. Cities and towns will be required to modify plans if they do not provide a realistic path forward for the achievement of housing production goals, according to the state's proposal.
Community leaders will be required to provide annual progress reports to the Department of Housing, showing what policy changes they followed through on, how many homes were actually built, and explaining any setbacks or issues they ran into.
Goddard told reporters her intention is for the state to reward communities that meet goals by giving them higher priority for state grants or infrastructure funds.
'It's a carrot, but it's a nicely disguised hammer in some way,' Goddard said.
Municipalities would also be provided with technical assistance on how to reform their local zoning codes and expedite permitting.
Randy Rossi, director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, said in a statement Wednesday that municipal leaders are firmly committed to supporting responsible housing development. 'More housing can be built when policies reflect the community needs and financial and technical support is available,' Rossi said.
Philip Tedesco, CEO of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors, said the plan will rely on a willingness to collaborate. nts.
'Local municipalities, legislators, and stakeholder groups will need to work together in determining revised zoning and development regulations, financial incentives, opportunities for revitalization, and more,' Tedesco said in a statement.
Goddard said she believed smaller towns will fall in line and that the state will meet its goal of 15,000 new homes.
'We're going to have to keep pushing, but it's doable,' she said in an interview.
HousingWorks RI Director Brenda Clement was a bit more skeptical. She said it may not be possible amid continued uncertainty over federal funding toward housing projects.
'A lot of what we're funding are with recovery funding and that's all going to disappear,' she said in an interview after the press conference. 'I am glad there is a plan, but plans are only as good as our implementation of them.'
Rhode Island Builders Association CEO John V. Marcantonio said he believes the state's plan for 15,000 new homes is possible if state and local leaders are committed to addressing the housing crisis.
'If the plan is to move forward, then it would be our objective to put the bodies in place to do that,' Marcantonio said in a phone interview. 'There's a lot of people that want to solve this problem — I think Rhode Island could be a leader on how to solve this issue.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
How RI plans to spend $571 million on the Washington Bridge
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Gov. Dan McKee announced Friday that taxpayers will spend $427 million to rebuild the westbound Washington Bridge by November 2028 — but that figure doesn't reflect the full cost of the project. A Target 12 analysis of monthly status reports, along with new documents released Friday, shows the total cost of the infrastructure crisis has grown to $571 million, a roughly 21% increase compared to estimates from nearly one year ago. That figure is roughly double state leaders' earliest estimates of how much it would cost to demolish and replace the bridge, which they initially pegged at between $250 million and $300 million. They had also suggested the new bridge would be open by the fall of 2026, more than two years earlier than is now expected. State leaders say they are now confident about the $571 million and insist it can be paid for with already earmarked taxpayer funds through a mix of debt, federal grants and leftover money from COVID-19 aid. The funding sources break down as $335 million in borrowing against future federal transportation funding; $221 million in federal grants won last year; $108 million from the state's cash account for capital projects; $35 million in redirected pandemic relief money; and $15 million from a prior bridge award. MAIN STORY: Washington Bridge rebuild will cost $427 million and take until 2028, McKee announces Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Eli Sherman (esherman@ is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook. Ted Nesi contributed to this report. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Washington Bridge rebuild to cost up to $427M. Expect to drive on it by late 2028.
Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti Jr. goes over the timeline to rebuild the westbound Washington Bridge at a State House press conference on Friday, June 6, 2025. At left is Gov. Dan McKee. At right is Walsh Construction Company Program Manager Charles Parish. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) The completion date and cost for a new westbound Washington Bridge is finally here. But it will take two more years and $59 million more than expected to resurrect a new thoroughfare connecting Providence and East Providence. Gov. Dan McKee unveiled the November 2028 target completion date and an up-to-$427 million contract cost at a State House press conference Friday. The long-awaited news comes nearly a year-and-a-half after state officials halted all traffic on the westbound highway after engineers discovered broken anchor rods that put the bridge spanning the Seekonk River at risk of collapse. State officials originally sought to rebuild the bridge by August 2026 at an estimated cost of $368 million. 'I understand that this has been a challenging time for those who rely on the Washington Bridge, especially in the early days before we were able to restore six lanes of traffic,' McKee said. 'We owe it to you to deliver a bridge that is safe and will ultimately make your lives easier.' Tasked with constructing the new bridge is Walsh Construction Company. The Chicago-based firm worked on the Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge on Interstate 95 over the Quinnipiac River in New Haven, Connecticut, along with the Interstate 90 Westbound Innerbelt Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio. For this project, the firm will draw from its design of the Chain of Rocks Bridge in St. Louis, Walsh Program Manager Charles Parish told reporters. 'It's not often that you get to build the same project twice, or the same bridge twice,' Parish said. 'But our ability to do that on the new Washington Bridge gave us the confidence to commit to both the price and schedule that we're sure we can meet.' The state's plan calls for five lanes of travel over the new bridge, along with an onramp from Gano Street in Providence and a new offramp to Waterfront Drive in East Providence. The original bridge had four lanes. Construction is scheduled to begin next month, which overlaps with the ongoing demolition of the existing bridge. Demolition contractor Aetna Bridge Company is expected to complete its work by the end of 2025. During that time, Walsh will secure permitting, workers, and pre-fabricate material to rebuild the bridge, Parish said. Walsh will be paid at least $339 million to build the new bridge, with incentives and contingencies that could bring the total cost up to $427 million. The deal also has built-in daily penalties of $25,000 for exceeding the project deadline. With demolition and emergency repairs, the entire project adds up to $570 million, which is 'well within what we budget,' McKee said. McKee's administration has identified more than $713 million in financing available for the project over the last year. That includes $35 million in remaining pandemic relief aid, $107.6 million from the state's capital plan fund, and up to $334.6 million in Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicles bonds, which allow the state to borrow against future allocations of federal transportation money. The state was also awarded nearly a pair of federal infrastructure grants worth roughly $221 million. The grants were temporarily frozen under President Donald Trump's initial flurry of executive orders, but released to Rhode Island in late March. However, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, in a lawsuit filed with 19 other states in May, warned that funding could still be at risk due to a federal directive tying infrastructure grants to compliance with the Trump administration's diversity and immigration policies. McKee said he does not believe federal funds will be taken away from the project. 'We have the sign off from [Transportation] Secretary (Sean) Duffy,' the governor said Friday. Also unclear: how the new price tag will impact the state's budget. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi said in a statement that legislative leaders will review the governor's announcement as they shape a final fiscal 2026 budget. 'As the bridge project moves forward, the House of Representatives will continue its work ensuring the administration is accountable,' Shekarchi said. Walsh was one of two finalists vying to rebuild the bridge after the state issued its latest bidding window last December. The other proposal came from a joint venture by American Bridge and MLJ, firms based respectively in Pennsylvania and New York. Rhode Island Director of Transportation Peter Alviti Jr. said both companies were qualified and made similar technical proposals. Walsh's proposal projected around $340 million in hard construction costs, while American Construction and MLJ's bid estimated nearly $387 million. Because it did not win the state's tentative contract, the losing bidder will receive a $1.75 million consolation prize for participating, as set out in the state's solicitation. It took two rounds of requests or proposals to yield any firm bids, a sore spot that McKee's critics continue to seize on, including his potential 2026 Democratic gubernatorial rival, Helena Buonanno Foulkes. 'Governor McKee's catastrophic failure to manage the Washington Bridge has impacted countless Rhode Island families and businesses, forcing them to endure longer commutes, lost wages, and economic hardship,' Foulkes said in a statement Friday. But McKee said he has no regrets. 'As far as I'm concerned we're in a good spot,' he said. 'The people in the state of Rhode Island know that the funding is there, the time schedule is there, and we have a quality bridge-builder to actually execute the project.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
DOJ opens civil rights probe into RI employment practices
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has launched an investigation to determine if Rhode Island's employment practices violate the Civil Rights Act. In a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Peter Neronha, the DOJ said it is investigating whether the state is 'engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination' in violation of Section 707 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended. The letter, first reported by the Rhode Island Public's Radio, said the probe is based on information suggesting Rhode Island's affirmative action program for state government employment may discriminate based on race, national origin, or other protected characteristics. 'Accordingly, the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division has authorized a full investigation to determine whether Rhode Island is engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination as set forth above,' the letter read. The DOJ did not specify which departments or practices are under scrutiny but said an employment litigation attorney has been assigned to the case. 'It is important to note that we have not reached any conclusions about the subjectmatter of the investigation. We intend to consider all relevant information, and we welcomeyour assistance in helping to identify what that might be,' the letter continued, asking for cooperation in the investigation. In response, Gov. Dan McKee's office provided the following statement: 'We are currently awaiting details regarding the substance of the investigation. At this time, we have no reason to believe that there is an issue with our current hiring practices. Read the full letter from the DOJ below. Rhode-Island-State-Government-_-notice-of-investigation-final-for-sending-6-4-25Download NEXT | 'No time not to act': Neronha unveils plan to confront RI health care crisis Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
