The bill amends the Rhode Island Housing Resources Act of 1998, now referred to as the “Comprehensive Housing Production and Rehabilitation Act of 2004,” to address the state's housing needs. It emphasizes the necessity for a comprehensive housing strategy that serves various populations, including workers, older citizens, students, low-income families, and vulnerable groups. The bill calls for innovative funding, planning tools like density bonuses, and partnerships to increase student and affordable multi-family housing. It mandates the creation of a five-year strategic housing plan by July 1, 2006, which will include goals, steps, and standards for housing production and rehabilitation. The bill also expands the definition of "affordable housing" to include a wider range of year-round housing options, such as manufactured housing and housing accepting rental vouchers. The bill introduces new legal language to redefine "low- or moderate-income housing" to be synonymous with "affordable housing," and includes type of housing to broaden the scope of housing considered under this category. It also updates various definitions to provide clarity for housing policies and plans. The strategic housing plan must be updated every five years, and local comprehensive plans must conform to its requirements. The bill encourages higher density development and requires a geographic information system map to identify suitable areas for such development. It also allows mobile and manufactured homes to count towards a municipality's affordable housing quota under certain conditions, with subsidized units counting as one whole unit and non-subsidized units counting as half a unit. The bill defines terms related to local housing needs and monitoring agents, and it takes effect upon passage, aiming to expand the inventory of affordable housing options by including mobile and manufactured homes.

Statutes affected:
7984  SUB A as amended: 42-128-8.1, 45-53-3
7984  SUB A: 42-128-8.1, 45-53-3
7984: 42-128-8.1, 45-53-3