Speaker Shekarchi announces 2025 slate of housing bills

"... our housing shortage had been decades in the making and [will] take a sustained effort, over the course of years, to address," said the Speaker.

Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi announced a 12-bill package of housing-related legislation on Thursday, his fifth comprehensive suite of housing bills since becoming Speaker in 2021.

“When I announced my commitment to tackling Rhode Island’s housing crisis, I commented that our housing shortage had been decades in the making and would take a sustained effort, over the course of years, to address. Four years and almost 50 new housing laws later, we are still chipping away at the barriers that have made development in Rhode Island more costly and more cumbersome than necessary,” said Speaker Shekarchi. “The workers who are the backbone of our State – teachers, nurses, first responders, and other working families – deserve to be able to comfortably reside within the communities they serve.

“Furthermore, our housing shortage and homelessness crisis are very much intertwined,” the Speaker continued. “As home prices and rents increase, it’s not just working families who are getting priced out of the housing market: people on the lower end of the income spectrum are disproportionately affected, and the data shows that homelessness increases in correlation with the cost of housing. I am so appreciative of all of the partners who continue to work with me to address our housing shortage.”

Here’s the video:

Speaker Shekarchi was joined by Representative June Speakman (Democrat, District 68, Warren, Bristol), chair of the Special Legislative Commission to Affordable Housing; Thomas Deller, chair of the Special Legislative Commission to Study Land Use; Randy Rossi, Executive Director; East Providence Mayor Bob DaSilva, President of Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns; John Marcantonio, Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Builders Association; and members of both commissions; legislators; housing and homelessness advocates; builders; and developers.

“We all know that the housing crisis is ongoing. Homes are too expensive and rents are too high. New families can’t find starter homes. Seniors can’t find apartments they can afford, and the needs of the homeless remain unmet,” said Chair Speakman. “These bills take us further down the road to addressing the crisis by streamlining approval processes and encouraging more flexible uses of our land and existing structures. There’s still more work to do, more pieces of the puzzle to fit in, but we’re getting there.”

The legislation continues Speaker Shekarchi’s efforts to address Rhode Island’s housing crisis. He implemented significant reforms in his previous legislative packages to make the development process more consistent, concise, and equitable. Two housing commissions established by Speaker Shekarchi also influenced the legislation. Speaker Shekarchi intended his legislation to be responsive to feedback from all stakeholders, and in that spirit, some of the legislation announced today would amend existing housing laws.

Much of the legislation stems from testimony and discussions of both commissions, which have been meeting regularly since July 2022 to address sustainable and equitable ways for Rhode Island to meet its affordable housing needs.

The bills announced on Thursday are:

• Building code: 2025-H 5804, sponsored by Speaker Shekarchi would build upon legislation introduced in last year’s housing package (2024-H 7983B, 2024-S 2990A), which codified the structure of the State Building Code Office and clarified the role of the State Building Code Commissioner. This legislation would provide additional clarity and centralize roles and quorums to streamline the process further and centralize the duties of the state officials, employees, commissions, and boards related to building and fire codes and permitting.

• Expansion of electronic permitting: 2025-H 5803, sponsored by Speaker Shekarchi would build upon legislation introduced in last year’s housing package (H-2024 7978A, 2024-S 3036A) to expand the use of electronic permitting for building permits, which is mandated for planning and zoning applications by October of this year. This legislation requires applications for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, and the Rhode Island Department of Transportation to utilize the e-permitting system by October 2026.

• Technical amendments to Zoning Enabling Act and Subdivision Act: 2025-H 5794, sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Craven (Democrat, District 32, North Kingstown) is based on feedback received from the Land Use Commission and various stakeholders, including local cities and towns, developers, advocates, planners and developers. The legislation seeks to clarify the processes set forth in the Zoning Enabling Act and Subdivision Act and to correct issues creating unnecessary delays and/or red tape. Additionally, Rhode Island’s Adaptive Reuse law (2023-H 6090A, 2023-S 1035A) is further clarified to encourage projects to continue to convert underutilized or vacant commercial buildings.

• Low and Moderate Housing Act amendments: 2025-H 5801, sponsored by House Commission on Housing Affordability Chairwoman June Speakman (Democrat, District 68, Warren, Bristol) furthers the work of the Affordable Housing Commission and implements feedback received by and from the commission. The legislation builds upon substantial amendments to Rhode Island’s Low and Moderate Housing Act, sponsored by Chair Speakman (2022-H 7949Aaa, 2022-S 3046A) in 2022. This legislation further clarifies standards and findings required for development to remove subjectivity in the process.

• Development of state-owned vacant properties for housing: 2025-H 5802, sponsored by Representative Thomas Noret (Democrat, District 25, Coventry, West Warwick) would leverage data collected by the Commission to Study the Cost and Status of State-Owned Vacant Properties. This commission was established via a resolution (H-2022 7320Aaa) he sponsored to review state-owned vacant and/or abandoned properties that may be utilized for housing opportunities throughout the State. This legislation establishes a streamlined approval process to be used for such properties.

• Temporary exemptions from the tax levy cap to accommodate new housing: 2025-H 5793, sponsored by House Labor Committee Chairman Arthur Corvese (Democrat, District 55, North Providence) was requested by the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns; it would allow an exemption from the local annual maximum tax levy for new construction of housing under certain conditions. The exemption would be contingent upon approval by the municipality and is only allowed where the new housing includes a portion of affordable units, among other criteria.

• Reliance on zoning certificates: 2025-H 5795, sponsored by Representative Tina Spears (Democrat, District 36, Charlestown, New Shoreham, South Kingstown, Westerly), would allow purchasers to reasonably rely on zoning opinions issued by local officials. When a current or prospective property owner obtains a zoning certificate, the certificate is for instructive purposes only and not binding; this amendment would remove the non-binding nature of zoning certificates to allow property owners to rely on the municipal determination of the legality of the present use.

• Village/mixed-use zoning requirements: 2025-H 5800, sponsored by Chairman Craven, would require municipalities to provide for village or mixed-use zoning to allow residential use in some or all areas of their commercial zoning districts.

• Higher density development in areas within the urban services boundary: 2025-H 5796, sponsored by Representative Jason Knight (Democrat, District 67, Barrington, Warren), is designed to encourage higher density development in these areas. The legislation provides that the city or town shall allow residential uses other than solely single-family units in these areas where public water and sewer are available.

• Attached single family dwelling units: 2025-H 5798, sponsored by Chair Speakman, is based on feedback from housing advocates and financial institutions regarding the demand for lower-cost home ownership opportunities, such as townhomes. This legislation encourages municipalities to allow such units where the structures share a party wall and a lot line, but are independent lots. The legislation would allow such a type of unit where zoning already allows the same density in a vertical style, by way of tenement or other two-, three-, or multi-family structures.

• Infill/oversized lot subdivisions: 2025-H 5799, sponsored by Representative Cherie Cruz (Democrat, District 58, Pawtucket) is based on feedback presented to the Land Use Commission to take advantage of underutilized land in a community. It would allow oversized lots to be subdivided if the resulting lots are equal to or greater than those in the immediate area. Additionally, the legislation would allow administrative modifications of dimensional requirements based on the average dimensional standard of the surrounding structures.

• Co-living housing opportunities: 2025-H 5797, sponsored by House Small Business Committee Chairwoman Carol Hagan McEntee (Democrat, District 33, South Kingstown, Narragansett) would enable municipalities to allow for the use of co-housing arrangements as energy-efficient, low-cost housing options similar to dorms in which there are common spaces, amenities, and facilities, but residents have separate private bedrooms. Other states have adopted this housing model as a cost-effective option.

The Housing Network of Rhode Island (HNRI) and Homes RI issued a statement thanking Speaker Shekarchi and House members for “prioritizing housing and advancing a comprehensive legislative package that supports increased opportunities to build more affordable homes” but did not immediately support or oppose any of the legislation on offer. They continue:

“As the cost of homes for sale and rent continue to rise, more and more Rhode Islanders are struggling to find affordable options, contributing to a worsening housing crisis. The only way to address these challenges is to build more homes. We commend Speaker Shekarchi for championing legislation that builds on prior legislation and continues to make progress in streamlining processes and reducing barriers to residential development.

“We look forward to reviewing the details of these bills and remain committed to working alongside policymakers, advocates, and community stakeholders to develop and implement solutions that ensure all Rhode Islanders have access to safe, affordable, and stable homes.”