Permits Smithfield to require 2 parking spaces for each studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom low- or moderate-income housing unit upon the determination that limited or no local public transportation or off-street parking is available near these units.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would give the town of Smithfield, Rhode Island a specific authority regarding parking requirements for affordable housing developments. Currently, state law generally limits how many parking spaces a town can require for low- or moderate-income housing units, as a way to make it easier and less expensive to build affordable homes. This bill would create an exception for Smithfield, allowing the town to require up to 2 parking spaces per unit for studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom affordable housing units.

However, this increased parking requirement would not apply automatically. Smithfield officials would first need to make a formal determination that the area near these housing units has little or no public transportation available, and also lacks sufficient off-street parking nearby. In other words, the town would need to show that residents would genuinely need more parking because they cannot rely on buses or other transit options, and there is no other nearby parking available to them.

This bill primarily affects affordable housing developers who build in Smithfield, as well as residents who might live in those units. Requiring more parking spaces can increase the cost of building affordable housing, since parking infrastructure is expensive. On the other hand, in areas without public transit, residents may genuinely need a place to park their cars. The bill applies only to Smithfield and does not change the rules for any other Rhode Island town or city. It has been introduced and referred to the House Municipal Government & Housing Committee for further review.