East Greenwich 'At a Sept. 29 Town Council meeting, the town's Affordable Housing Commission and the Planning Department told councilors that East Greenwich remains below the state's 10% affordable-housing goal and that reaching that target at current development rates will take many years.

The Affordable Housing Commission reported a current certified affordable share of 7.2% and urged continued use of state and local tools to produce mixed housing types, while Planning Director Al Rinaldi said the town's historical rate of certificates of occupancy averages about 18 housing units a year. "On average, we do 18 housing use units per year," Rinaldi said. "If you do the math, it will take us 70 years to reach a 10% goal." (Al Rinaldi, Director of Planning)

Why it matters: Councilors and commission members said the difference between 7.2% and the 10% statutory benchmark affects East Greenwich's eligibility for state planning designations and grants, and may alter how the state reviews future local plans and permitting. Speakers repeatedly warned that relying on large, speculative projects to close the gap carries timing risk.

Key points from the presentations

- Current status and count: The commission reported the town's certified affordable share at 7.2% (Sue Peterson, Affordable Housing Commission). Commission members noted the figure moves as units are completed and certified by the building department.

- ADUs and the 2022 statute: Commissioners and staff discussed the 2022 state change that counts accessory dwelling units (ADUs) as half a unit for affordability accounting in some circumstances. "There's a new statute that was passed as of 2022. ADUs count as half of an affordable unit," a commission member said during the discussion (transcript). The group noted ADUs increase housing supply but do not guarantee permanent deed restriction as affordable units.

- Comp-permit and inclusionary zoning tradeoffs: Speakers reviewed the town's inclusionary and comp-permit dynamics. Planning staff said requiring significantly higher local inclusionary percentages risks pushing more projects to file comprehensive permits, where state rules can override local regulations.

- Project uncertainty: Commissioners noted that projects frequently cited as closing the gap (for example, the Division Street and Imperial developments) are at different stages and may not deliver units on the timetable the town needs to reach 10% quickly.

- Infrastructure and capacity limits: Councilors and staff flagged sewer and water capacity, and other service requirements, as limits on where new development can occur. Rinaldi said parts of the western town are limited by available sewer service and that roughly 30 parcels of 10 acres or more remain, though many lack sewer connections.

- Next steps: Rinaldi said the town will issue a request for proposals for the comprehensive plan update this week and that the plan must be adopted in the coming cycle (targeted work through 2026). He also recommended strengthening partnerships with the East Greenwich Housing Authority and nonprofit developers that can access state and federal funding.

Voices in the meeting

- Shana DeFelice, chair, Affordable Housing Commission: presented the commission's annual report and emphasized the importance of working with state housing staff and Rhode Island Housing to access programs.

- Sue Peterson, Affordable Housing Commission: provided state-level context and figures, and cited the 7.2% certified rate.

- Al Rinaldi, Director of Planning: presented the housing production analysis and warned that, at historical certification rates, reaching 10% is a multidecade prospect without targeted policy changes.

Context and outlook

Councilors asked for greater specificity in the comprehensive-plan work and more concrete proposals for incentives or town-led production. Planning staff flagged the need to align any local changes with statewide planning requirements and with sewer/water infrastructure assessments. Rinaldi said the comp-plan RFP will be released this week, and a public process will follow.

Ending

Councilors and commission members agreed to continue the conversation at future meetings and through the comprehensive plan process; no formal votes on housing policy were taken at the Sept. 29 session.