The Washington County Regional Planning Council has created a nonprofit
agency whose sole purpose will be to increase affordable housing in the
region.
The board of directors of the Washington County Community Development
Corporation, as the group is called, held its initial meeting last month
and is working to define its role in relation to the communities it
serves. Its goals include acquiring and rehabilitating housing, building
new affordable units and advocating for the issue, said member Geoffrey
Marchant.
'Every time you say affordable housing, it gets morphed into the
projects," said Marchant, who also serves on the South Kingstown
Affordable Housing Collaborative. The aim, he said, is to assist town's
in implementing their affordable housing plans.
Though the group's role is still being formulated, Marchant envisions
the corporation acting as a developer in some instances and as a conduit
for securing buyers for affordable units. The agency might manage towns'
waiting lists for housing or arrange the financing details for
"for-profit" developers interested in pursuing inclusionary zoning.
"We would structure the financial deal for those low-income units," he
said. (Towns are in the midst of writing inclusionary zoning
regulations, which would give developers density bonuses in exchange for
building affordable units.)
Among the board's first objectives is recruiting at least five members
either in or associated with the low-income community. Its nine current
members include planners, engineers and affordable housing
professionals. A third of the 15-person body must represent the
lower-income brackets in order for it to be eligible for some federal
funds, Marchant said.
The board has filed for nonprofit status from the state and has applied
for 501(c)3 tax code designation. Members are in the process of writing
a job description for an executive director position. It then might be
eligible for grants from the United Way and the Rhode Island Foundation.
Board member Anna Prager said the group hopes to create "model"
affordable housing in South County, possibly in unused space above
businesses.
"Housing is crucial," said Prager, a former South Kingstown town planner.
"Unless communities and nonprofits band together to make sure affordable
housing is created, there is going to be a whole segment of the
population who won't be able to afford a house," she said.
These are police officers, teachers, and town workers, people you want
to be a part of your community, she said.
The group will reach out to local town planners, and familiarize
themselves with each community's affordable housing plan.
L. Vincent Murray, South Kingstown's director of planning, believes the
group could play an important role in lobbying on behalf of the region
for more financial resources.
"It can't hurt to have more people involved in the topic," he said. "A
new player's welcome."
The board -- which will serve all of Washington County including Block
Island -- will hold its next meeting Nov. 14.
Katie Mulvaney can be reached by at kmulvanexxxxxxxxxxxxprojo.com
or 277-7417.
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