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 repurposing unused school buildings. Each municipality is required to submit a complete list of buildings abandoned or no longer being used by the school district for feasibility assessments, regardless of their current low- or moderate-income housing percentage.

The bill introduces a task force, convened by the secretary of housing, comprised of the Rhode Island housing and mortgage finance corporation, the department of environmental management, the department of health, and a fire marshal, to develop assessment criteria for determining the suitability of school buildings for repurposing. If a building meets these criteria, the Department of Housing may facilitate a feasibility study to estimate the costs of repurposing.

The feasibility study must be completed within 180 days after the Department of Housing has been notified of the availability of a vacant building. 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 Department of Housing may also promulgate rules and regulations to implement the program. The act will take effect upon passage.

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