Warren Town Hall
Here’s what we found of note:
The real fireworks got started when Council President DePasquale brought up the final Resolution requesting an amendment to RI General Law § 45-53-4 that aims to eliminate it all together, passing the control from the State to the local level while potentially only adding developments that are 100% low-or-moderate.
Summarily, any entity looking to build housing can skip much of the rigmarole and go straight to a local review board, IF they propose adding at least 25% of the housing as low-or-moderate-income. They are also eligible for lots of perks to offset the difference in costs to the properties. The overlying issue with this particular law is that at 25%, it becomes nearly impossible for municipalities to reach the 10% goal. With every housing development that sets aside a quarter of its units for low income renters, there’s 75% added at ‘market rate’ that tip the scale the other way. Pair that with how the units are counted (often excluding pre-existing housing where the rents are considered affordable) and you’re dealing with a sisyphean task.
Honestly, a lot of the talk at this point reminded us of the race to get high school test scores up, eschewing actual teaching and learning towards simply “teaching to the test”.
Are we just trying to go to the 10% objective or are we actually trying to provide housing that is affordable and fair?
The discussion really took a turn when Councilperson Trombley obliterated the organization of the Resolution itself, seemingly offending Town Solicitor DeSisto and President DePasquale simultaneously. He later opined that trying to restrict any new housing to 100% low-income in order to get to the 10% more quickly would resemble “affordable housing” initiatives from the 40’s and 50’s, therefore pushing one section of a community into its own controlled space. (i.e. “the projects”).
State Rep. June Speakman was summoned from the gallery to clarify some of this. As is her duty, she must bring any approved resolution to the House. She cited statistics published by HousingWorks RI, a research and policy organization based at nearby Roger Williams University, that identifies the median rental cost in Warren at just over $2,600. Both Rego and Hanley objected as to where these numbers come from because, in the case of Rego, his rental properties aren’t that much and, according to Hanley, the apartments in his neighborhood are all around $2,100. Rep. Speakman then pointed to the fact that the Tourister development raised those averages with more high end rental fees. This is where Hanley really stepped in it saying, “Tourister is not the real Warren.” Quickly backpedaling after some noise from the gallery to say, “I mean rural, the more rural areas.”
Also, at one point Bianca Policastro, the new Town Planner, stepped up and took the kids to school on housing in RI - mentioning the 30% housing rule, a well-worn aphorism that housing should cost less than 30% of a person's income.
One of the biggest issues with the 30% rent rule is that it’s based on your gross income—not the amount of money that actually lands in your bank account on payday, but that’s a whole other snake nest.
At this point Hanley blurts in with his wannabe rugged individualist machoman impression with “When I bought my house, I was over that 30% number, blah, blah. I wanted a house” This, dear readers, could not contain one reporter. So, I stood up and approached the mic looking the man in the eye to tell him I reject his rhetoric about ‘picking yourself up by the bootstraps and just dealing with it just because that’s the way it was in my day’. Times have changed John, thankfully and, thankfully too, this is your last few months on the council.
For your records, the resolution passed, 3-2 with Cronin and Trombley opposed.