1 Comment

worth a try, Rep Morales is to be commended for proposing this innovation.

That Providence had the highest rent increase in the nation should be a major headline in the media.

3 factors underlying the high costs:

1 opposition to density almost everywhere, -understandably most residents don't want a lot more people living adjacent, and democracy implies city/town governments pander to that; but the net result is not enough housing, expensive housing, and that built is often paving over the countryside adding to sprawl, congestion, and climate emissions;

2 the Assembly's decision to give property tax relief only on motor vehicles, not on where people live - in comparison to the $2 million Rep Morales asks for, the state budget allocates $235 million for ending the car tax, disproportionately helping those with the most cars and most expensive cars while providing little or no help to low income renters;

3 population growth - underappreciated, but RI had added about 150,000 people in a generation - on the same amount of land supply and demand inevitably drives up prices.

Expand full comment