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 related to parking requirements for affordable housing developments. Under current state law, there are limits on how many parking spaces a town can require for low- or moderate-income housing units. This bill would allow Tiverton to require up to two parking spaces per unit for studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom affordable housing units — but only under certain conditions.

Specifically, Tiverton could apply this higher parking requirement only when the town determines that there is little or no public transportation available nearby, or that there is limited off-street parking in the area surrounding those housing units. The idea is that in locations where residents cannot easily rely on buses or other transit, and where street parking is scarce, tenants in affordable housing would need access to more dedicated parking spaces.

This bill primarily affects affordable housing developers and future residents of low- or moderate-income housing in Tiverton. Developers may face additional costs if they are required to build more parking spaces, which could influence where and how they choose to build affordable housing projects. Residents of those units, on the other hand, could benefit from having guaranteed parking available.

The bill is specific to Tiverton and does not apply to other Rhode Island communities. It is currently moving through the Senate committee process, having been referred first to the Senate Housing and Municipal Government Committee and then transferred to the Senate Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs Committee.