Allows the town of Tiverton, with an aggregate of 500 or more units proposed in a comprehensive permit project, to enact a short-term emergency moratorium until the permit laws are amended.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would give the town of Tiverton, Rhode Island a special temporary power to pause — or put a "freeze" on — large affordable housing development projects under certain conditions. Specifically, if a developer proposes a project through a process called a "comprehensive permit" (a streamlined approval process for affordable housing developments) that would add 500 or more housing units in total, Tiverton could declare a short-term emergency moratorium, essentially hitting a stop button on that project for a limited period of time.

The moratorium would only last until state lawmakers update the underlying permit laws that govern how these large affordable housing projects are approved. The idea is to give Tiverton a temporary breathing room if it believes a very large development proposal could have significant impacts on the town before the rules around such projects are modernized or clarified.

This bill primarily affects the town of Tiverton and any developers who might seek to build large-scale affordable housing projects there using the comprehensive permit process. It could also affect people who might benefit from that new housing, potentially delaying when those units become available. It's worth noting that this bill applies only to Tiverton — it does not change the rules for any other Rhode Island community. The bill has been introduced and referred to the Senate Housing and Municipal Government Committee, where it will be reviewed before any further action is taken.