Allows the town of Tiverton to receive a one-half (1/2) credit for affordable housing units for manufactured homes in age restricted communities in conformance with all zoning laws and/or ordinances of the town.

Plain-English Summary

Rhode Island has a law that requires cities and towns to maintain a certain percentage of their housing as "affordable housing." This bill would create a special rule specifically for the town of Tiverton, allowing it to count manufactured homes (sometimes called mobile homes) located in age-restricted communities — meaning housing developments limited to older adults — toward meeting that affordable housing requirement, but only at half credit. In other words, each qualifying manufactured home in an age-restricted community would count as half of an affordable housing unit when calculating Tiverton's affordable housing totals.

This bill affects Tiverton residents and local officials most directly. Currently, these types of homes may not be counting toward the town's affordable housing numbers, which could put Tiverton at risk of not meeting state requirements. By allowing partial credit, the town would have an easier time demonstrating compliance with state affordable housing goals. The homes must still follow all of Tiverton's local zoning laws and ordinances to qualify.

It's worth noting that the credit is only half, not full credit, meaning each manufactured home in an age-restricted community contributes less toward the town's affordable housing count than a traditional affordable housing unit would. The bill has been introduced and sent to the House Committee on Municipal Government & Housing for further review, so it has not yet become law.