Prohibits applications filed in the town of Tiverton, for comprehensive permit projects, for low- and moderate-income housing, to include accessory dwelling units.

Plain-English Summary

This bill is specifically about the town of Tiverton, Rhode Island, and deals with how affordable housing projects can be built there. Under current Rhode Island law, developers can apply for a "comprehensive permit" — a streamlined approval process — to build low- and moderate-income housing. This bill would prohibit those comprehensive permit applications in Tiverton from including accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which are smaller, secondary living spaces attached to or on the same property as a main home (sometimes called "in-law apartments" or "backyard cottages").

In practical terms, this means that if a developer in Tiverton wants to use the faster, combined permitting process to build affordable housing, they could not count ADUs as part of that project. Developers could still potentially build ADUs through other, standard local permitting processes — this bill simply removes ADUs from the comprehensive permit pathway specifically for affordable housing projects in Tiverton.

This bill would primarily affect housing developers seeking to build affordable housing in Tiverton, as it limits one tool they might use to include more housing units in their projects. It could also affect low- and moderate-income residents looking for housing in Tiverton, since reducing the types of units allowed under these permits could limit the overall supply of affordable housing options available in town. The bill applies only to Tiverton and has no effect on other Rhode Island communities.

The bill has been introduced and referred to the House Municipal Government & Housing Committee, where it will be reviewed before any further action.