Allows the town of Johnston to determine its density bonuses based upon its underlying zoning.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would give the town of Johnston, Rhode Island special authority to set its own rules about "density bonuses" — a tool that allows developers to build more housing units on a piece of land than the standard zoning rules would normally permit. Under typical state guidelines, density bonuses follow a statewide formula, but this bill would allow Johnston to calculate those bonuses using its own local zoning as the starting point instead.

In practical terms, this means Johnston would have more local control over how much additional housing can be built when developers qualify for these bonuses — which are often offered in exchange for including affordable housing units in a development. Rather than following a one-size-fits-all state approach, Johnston's town officials could tailor the bonus calculations to fit their community's specific zoning landscape.

This bill primarily affects the town of Johnston, its local government officials, and developers or property owners who are planning residential construction projects there. It does not appear to apply to any other Rhode Island municipality. The bill has been introduced and sent to the House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing for further review, where lawmakers will decide whether to move it forward.