Permits Tiverton to require two parking space for each studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom low- or moderate-income housing units upon the determination that limited or no local public transportation or off-street parking availability near these units.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would give the town of Tiverton, Rhode Island a specific authority to require that affordable housing developments include at least two parking spaces for each unit — even for smaller units like studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. This rule would apply specifically to low- and moderate-income housing, which is housing built to be affordable for people who earn below certain income levels.

However, the two-parking-space requirement would not be automatic. Tiverton would first need to make a formal determination that the area near the housing development has limited or no public transportation options and limited or no existing off-street parking available nearby. In other words, the town would need to show that residents of these units would genuinely need extra parking because they cannot easily rely on buses or other transit, and there is no other nearby parking to use.

This bill primarily affects the town of Tiverton, affordable housing developers who build in Tiverton, and future residents of low- and moderate-income housing units there. Developers may face higher construction costs if they are required to build more parking spaces, which could influence where and how much affordable housing gets built. Residents, on the other hand, could benefit from having guaranteed parking if they own cars and live in an area without good public transit access.

The bill has been introduced and sent to the House Municipal Government & Housing Committee for review. It has not yet been voted on.