Allows the town of Johnston to receive a one-half (1/2) credit for affordable housing units for manufactured homes in age restricted communities in conformance with all zoning laws and/or ordinances of the town.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would change how the town of Johnston, Rhode Island gets "credit" for affordable housing under the state's Housing Resources Act. Currently, Rhode Island tracks whether towns are meeting affordable housing goals, and towns receive credit for qualifying affordable housing units they have. This bill would allow Johnston to count manufactured homes (sometimes called mobile homes or prefabricated homes) located in age-restricted communities — meaning housing developments limited to older adults — as half of a unit of affordable housing credit, rather than a full unit.

The bill affects Johnston specifically, as well as residents who live or might live in manufactured home communities in the town that are designated for older adults. For the town itself, being able to count these homes toward its affordable housing totals (even at half credit) could help Johnston demonstrate progress toward state housing goals. Manufactured home residents in these communities could potentially benefit if their housing is officially recognized as part of the town's affordable housing inventory.

It is worth noting that this is a town-specific exception rather than a statewide policy change. The bill also requires that the manufactured homes comply with all of Johnston's existing zoning laws and ordinances to qualify. The bill has been introduced and sent to the Senate Housing and Municipal Government committee for further review.