Housing
Rhode Island has a long way to go to fix problems caused by short-term rentals
The complex web entangling short-term rentals in Rhode Island has a new twist. Namely, that the licensing process more than half a dozen cities and towns have adopted to regulate Airbnb, VRBO and other short-term rentals, might be breaking state law. That’s what Michael Marcello thinks. The Tiverton solicitor and former state representative dropped the […]
State appoints deputy Housing Department secretary
A 30-year industry veteran is the state’s first deputy secretary of housing, the Rhode Island Department of Housing announced. Deborah Flannery was named to the position Tuesday — a job the Housing Department said was established to help create and expand housing stock across the state. Rhode Island’s new housing secretary turns to Commerce playbook […]
Will New York City’s crackdown on Airbnb embolden other cities?
NEW YORK — As New York City’s busiest tourist season approaches — with travelers visiting holiday attractions across the city and the famed New Year’s Eve ball drop — the options of where to stay are shrinking. For years, it has been illegal for homes in New York City to be rented out for fewer […]
Johnson & Wales University changes residency requirement for new students effective Fall 2024
PROVIDENCE — Johnson & Wales University (JWU) students will be required to live on campus for their first three years instead of two under a new policy the school announced Wednesday. The change, which takes effect with the freshmen class enrolling in fall 2024, brings the private university in line with the three-year requirement for […]
State looks to open new shelter for 12 homeless families in Washington County
Homeless families in Washington County have few options when it comes to finding temporary housing: They can get placed in a local motel room or get sent to a shelter facility as far away as Woonsocket. But soon, a dozen families experiencing a housing emergency in the southern part of the state would be able […]
Rhode Island’s new housing secretary turns to Commerce playbook to stimulate housing production
Stefan Pryor built a name for himself in Rhode Island by negotiating major deals with private developers, lured in by public subsidies. So it’s no surprise that Pryor’s second act as state housing secretary features a reprise of many of the corporate incentive programs he led as former head of Rhode Island Commerce Corp. Nowhere […]
States grapple with racist language in real estate deeds
Lisa Boccetti is horrified by the restrictive covenant that is in the deed to her 1950s ranch house in Raleigh, North Carolina: It states that the land cannot be sold or occupied by Black people. The property “shall not be sold to negroes or to any person or persons of negro blood, and said premises shall […]
Sluggish housing production hammers Greater Boston
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, it looked like Greater Boston housing markets were about to take a nosedive. Rents dropped dramatically, a potential eviction crisis loomed, and residents left the urban core for more space in the suburbs or moved in with family as work and schools went virtual. Three years later, rents […]
State to purchase former Charlesgate Nursing Center for nearly $7 million
The purchase price for the state to buy the former Charlesgate Nursing Center to convert into temporary housing for homeless families is $6.95 million, the Department of Housing announced Tuesday. The price was made public one week after the State Properties Committee unanimously voted for the department to enter a purchase and sale agreement with […]
Older adults want to ‘age in place,’ but their options are limited in most states
Read more Stateline coverage of how communities across the country are trying to create more affordable housing. As older adults begin to outnumber young people in the United States in the coming decade, advocacy groups are challenging states to shift away from single-family zoning in favor of housing solutions that allow older adults to “age […]
Charlesgate purchase and sales agreement OKed
PROVIDENCE — The Rhode Island Department of Housing is set to acquire the former Charlesgate Nursing home, now being used temporarily as a homeless shelter, in order to pursue plans to make it permanent housing. The State Properties Committee Tuesday morning voted unanimously to approve a purchase and sale agreement with Charlesgate for an undisclosed […]
$30M state grant program helps 1,300 first-time homebuyers
More than 1,300 first-time homebuyers received grants to pay for the down payment and closing costs through a $30 million state program launched in partnership with RIHousing, Gov. Dan McKee announced on Monday. The Statewide Down Assistance Program, which opened in January, offered $17,500 apiece to first-time homebuyers to pay for down payment and closing […]