The bill amends Section 45-53-10 of the General Laws in Chapter 45-53, establishing a program for the repurposing of vacant school buildings into affordable housing. The program will be administered by the Department of Housing and aims to provide guidance and assistance in identifying and assessing unused school buildings for potential conversion into affordable housing. Each municipality is required to provide the Department with a complete list of buildings abandoned or no longer being used by the school district for the purposes of conducting a feasibility assessment to repurpose the building as affordable housing.

Key changes in the bill include the removal of specific requirements for municipalities based on their current levels of low- or moderate-income housing, allowing all municipalities to submit lists of abandoned school buildings for assessment. The Secretary of Housing is tasked with convening a task force to develop assessment criteria for determining the feasibility of repurposing these buildings. The bill extends the timeline for feasibility studies from 150 days to 180 days and clarifies the roles of the Department of Housing in conducting assessments and facilitating the repurposing process. Once a building is determined to be appropriate for repurposing through a completed feasibility study, the Department of Housing, in collaboration with the respective municipality, may invite prospective developers to submit proposals for redevelopment of the site through a competitive process.

The act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
611: 45-53-10
611  SUB A: 45-53-10