Housing commission, land use commission to meet jointly
STATE HOUSE –The Special Commission to Study the Low and Moderate Income Housing Act will meet next week with the Special Legislative Commission to Study the Entire Area of Land Use, Preservation, Development, Housing, Environment, and Regulation.
The joint meeting is set Tuesday, Feb. 28, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., in the House Lounge on the second floor of the State House.
On the agenda is a group discussion of potential legislation. No public comment will be taken at this meeting.
The meeting will be will be live streamed at http://rilegislature.gov/CapTV/Pages/default.aspx. It also will be televised by Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox channel 15 and 61 for high definition, on i3Broadband on channel 15 and on channel 34 by Verizon subscribers.
The Special Commission to Study the Low and Moderate Income Housing Act, led by Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol), is studying barriers to affordable housing creation and identify ways to help cities and towns meet their obligations under the Low and Moderate Income Housing Act to ensure that at least 10 percent of their housing stock qualifies as affordable.
Besides Chairwoman Speakman, the commission includes Rep. Joshua J. Giraldo (D-Dist. 56, Central Falls), House Minority Leader Michael W. Chippendale (R-Dist. 40, Foster, Glocester, Coventry), Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor, Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg, ONE Neighborhood Builders President and Executive Director Jennifer Hawkins, Grow Smart Rhode Island Executive Director Scott Wolf, Pawtucket Central Falls Development Corporation Executive Director Linda Weisinger, Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness Executive Director Caitlin Frumerie, Rita Danielle Steele of Steele Realty Consultants, Rhode Island Builders Vice President David Caldwell, Housing Network of Rhode Island/Community Housing Land Trust of Rhode Island Executive Director Melina Lodge, Amy Rainone of Rhode Island Housing, Robert Marshall of the Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council, Glocester Town Planner Karen Scott, Providence Department of Planning Director Community Development Emily Freedman, Cranston Tax Assessor Ken Mallette, Jongsung Kim of the Bryant University Department of Economics and United Way of Rhode Island President Cortney M. Nicolato.
The Special Legislative Commission to Study the Entire Area of Land Use, Preservation, Development, Housing, Environment, and Regulation was created to study land use and provide recommendations to enable the state to ensure and promote land use that allows for sustainable and equitable economic growth. The commission is chaired by Central Falls Planning Director Thomas E. Deller and includes Maria Mack of the South Kingstown Planning Board; Meredith E. Brady of the Division of Statewide Planning; attorney Dylan Conley; Department of Environmental Management Director Terrence Gray; Nicole Verdi of Ørsted; Save the Bay Advocacy Director Topher Hamblett; Nate Kelly of the Horsley Witten Group; Robert DeGregorio of Slocum Real Estate and Insurance; Rhode Island Builders Association CEO John V. Marcantonio; United Way of Rhode Island President Cortney M. Nicolato; Newport Planning Director Patricia Reynolds; Edinaldo Tebaldi, a faculty fellow, executive director of institutional effectiveness and strategy and professor of economics at Bryant University; Jeffrey Hall of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island; Henry Wright III of the Rhode Island Farm Bureau; Rhode Island Director of Administration James E. Thorsen; Mark McHugh of Clearmark Real Estate; and Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor.
