by Council Staff | Apr 8, 2026 | Add Council Logo
Providence, RI – Tonight, for the first time in Providence’s history, the City Council voted on a rent stabilization ordinance.
After being voted out of the Special Committee on Health, Opportunity, Prosperity, and Education (HOPE) unanimously, councilors passed the rent stabilization ordinance for the first time. The ordinance, which would cap annual rent increases at 4% with exemptions that keep Providence’s specific needs in mind, was shaped by months of public engagement across the city, extensive policy research, and input from national housing experts. According to the ordinance’s sponsors, the proposal is designed to bring predictability and fairness to a housing market where rent increases have too often outpaced what residents can afford.
“Tonight, the Providence City Council spoke for the 60% of residents in our city who rent their homes. We spoke for a positive vision of Providence where we build more housing, protect the homes we have, and stabilize rents so families can plan for their future, while ensuring property owners can continue to maintain and invest in their buildings,” said Council President Rachel Miller (Ward 13).
The ordinance is designed to give Providence residents the ability to plan for their future and remain in their homes, while taking into consideration the needs of property owners. It allows landlords to seek additional increases when necessary to cover significant capital improvements, major tax increases, or other legitimate large expenses. The system is complaint-based and does not impose ongoing reporting requirements, allowing it to provide strong protections without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
The proposal also establishes a five-member Residential Rent Regulation Board to oversee implementation, resolve disputes, and ensure the policy is enforced fairly. Sponsors have emphasized the Board is a key part of a flexible, responsive system that can adapt to real-world conditions.
According to sponsors, the policy is carefully written to focus on the large, corporate landlords most responsible for extreme rent increases, while including exemptions for small, local owner-occupied landlords, deed-restricted affordable housing, and new construction. Amendments made in committee related to new development create a pathway to a 20-year exemption for projects that provide good-paying local jobs.
“This ordinance is informed by lessons from the 200 municipalities across the country with some form of rental regulation on the books. It was strengthened through extensive public input—from residents and organizations both supportive of and opposed to this effort,” Miller continued. “Tonight, it passed its first hurdle with support from a majority of the City Council. I’m deeply grateful to Chairman Pichardo, Chairwoman Harris, the members of the HOPE Committee and Housing Crisis Task Force, my fellow councilors, and our staff for the many hours spent shaping this proposal and listening to feedback. Most of all, I’m grateful to the residents of Providence who showed up, shared their stories, and made their voices heard.”
Tonight’s vote follows an extensive public process that included community listening sessions in neighborhoods across Providence—including the North End, South Side, East Side, Federal Hill, and the West End—more than seven hours of public testimony before the HOPE Committee, and over 900 written comments submitted to the City Clerk. Feedback from tenants, property owners, housing advocates, nonprofit developers, and policy experts directly informed a series of amendments that strengthened and clarified the proposal. A poll released earlier today in the Boston Globe shows strong support for rent stabilization in Providence, with 74% of likely Democratic voters saying they support limiting annual rent increases to 4 percent.
The ordinance must be approved a second time by a simple majority, or 8 votes, of the City Council before being sent to the mayor, who would then have 10 days to sign or veto the ordinance. If it is vetoed, the Council would have 30 days to override the veto with a two-thirds majority, or 10 votes.
Sponsors emphasized that rent stabilization is one part of a broader housing strategy that includes increasing supply, protecting existing housing stock, and stabilizing costs for residents. Over the past several years, the Council has advanced zoning reforms, invested in affordable housing, and supported development across the city.
Councilors introduced one of those additional tools focused on increasing the supply of affordable housing tonight. The Boosting Urban Investment to Launch Development (BUILD) Act was announced at an event yesterday, April 1st, with lead sponsors Council President Miller and Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11), other councilors, affordable housing developers, and community partners. Under the BUILD Act, qualifying low-income housing developers would not be taxed during the construction period before occupancy.
“If we’re serious about addressing the housing crisis, we have to make it possible to actually build affordable housing. Right now, projects can face full tax bills before any rent is coming in, which makes development much harder. The BUILD Act removes that barrier, helping projects move forward and supporting organizations that are building deeply affordable homes in neighborhoods like South Providence,” said Councilwoman Harris.
The proposal was referred to the Committee on Finance.
In a continued effort to support Providence youth, Councilor Miguel Sanchez (Ward 6) introduced amendments to the Juvenile Hearing Board ordinance. This measure mandates that juveniles who commit non-violent crimes are referred to the Juvenile Hearing Board, which provides youth with a community-based alternative to the criminal justice system.
“The Juvenile Hearing Board teaches, restores, and redirects youth who have made mistakes, guiding them towards better choices,” said Councilor Sanchez. “When communities take part in shaping consequences, they don’t just correct behavior, they break cycles and build futures.”
The proposal was referred to the HOPE Committee.
The next regular City Council meeting will convene on April 16, 2026.
by Council Staff | Apr 2, 2026 | Add Council Logo
Citywide results align with previous statewide polling and reinforce demand for action on rental costs.
Providence, RI – A new poll reported in the Boston Globe shows strong support for rent stabilization in Providence, with 74% of likely Democratic voters saying they support limiting annual rent increases to 4 percent.
“This poll confirms what we have heard consistently throughout this entire process,” said Council President Rachel Miller. “After years of being squeezed for every dollar possible, Providence renters are demanding stability, predictability, and fairness in the rental market. At every listening session, in hundreds of emails, and through countless hours of public testimony, people have made their voices loud and clear: rent stabilization is needed.”
“This polling shows a broad, citywide consensus, following another poll that shows a broad, statewide consensus,” Miller continued. “We’ve responded to that community pressure by developing a rent stabilization policy unique to Providence—one that targets large, corporate landlords while supporting local, mom-and-pop property owners. We’ve taken the time to engage the community, incorporate feedback, and build a balanced ordinance that protects tenants from unexpected rent increases they simply cannot afford.”
The results are consistent with a 2025 poll conducted by the University of Rhode Island, which found that 72% of Rhode Islanders support limits on rent increases.
“For months, we’ve heard from well-funded special interests telling us rent stabilization would be a disaster,” said Councilor Miguel Sanchez (Ward 6). “The opposition to stabilizing rents is loud, but it’s small. It’s being driven by corporate landlords and ultra-wealthy developers who profit from keeping rents high. This poll cuts through the noise. It shows that the rest of us who are actually living through the housing crisis, whose rents are rising much faster than our paychecks, overwhelmingly support rent stabilization.”
“The free market works very well for a few, and very poorly for everyone else who can’t afford to stay in their home,” Sanchez continued. “This poll makes it clear: the people of Providence are ready for change, and we have a responsibility to deliver it.”
City Council sponsors say the polling underscores the urgency of addressing rising housing costs and reinforces the need for a balanced, Providence-specific approach to rent stabilization. The full City Council is expected to vote for the first time on the rent stabilization ordinance at tonight’s meeting.
by Council Staff | Apr 1, 2026 | Add Council Logo
Providence, RI – Today, at a press conference, City Council President Rachel Miller (Ward 13), Deputy Majority Leader Mary Kay Harris (Ward 11), and non-profit housing developers announced the Boosting Urban Investment to Launch Development (BUILD) Act, legislation that would tax properties offering affordable housing units appropriately from the start, not just upon occupancy, in order to ramp up housing supply.
“The BUILD Act paves the way for the speedy development of affordable income-restricted housing,” said Council President and Act sponsor Rachel Miller. “At a time when our housing crisis requires a swift response, removing process barriers and ensuring that low-income housing developers have what they need to make the financing case has a big impact in the low-income landscape. This is another strong step forward as the Council works to increase development, protect the housing stock, and stabilize the cost of rent.”
“We appreciate the Providence City Council’s recognition that successful affordable housing development depends on predictability and consistency, as demonstrated by the introduction of this ordinance to provide property tax considerations during the development phase,” said Melina Lodge, Executive Director of Housing Network RI. “By reducing uncertainty and allowing developers to focus resources on building homes, this policy meaningfully eases financial pressures while fostering greater efficiency and innovation.”
“Importantly, the added predictability these tax considerations provide enables more reliable planning and execution, helping to accelerate the delivery of much-needed housing for individuals and families,” Lodge continued. “We commend the City Council for its leadership and continued commitment to creating a stable, supportive environment that advances sustainable growth and expands access to affordable housing.”
Currently, low-income housing is subject to a special tax rate, where municipalities assess their properties’ taxes at 8% of their gross scheduled rental income. However, the “8 Law,” as this provision is known, only goes into effect upon occupancy of the rental units. In between the start of construction and initiation of rent, properties are taxed at the regular rate. This is especially problematic when unexpected delays arise, forcing low-income housing developers—who already operate on thin margins—to face tax bills they may not be able to afford.
The BUILD Act will change that, using the tax stabilization agreement (TSA) structure to provide limited stabilization during that gap time before the 8% tax treatment goes into effect. By removing the tax burden from the start, the BUILD Act would clear a difficult barrier to the construction of more affordable housing, especially the deeply affordable housing needed by the lowest income households.
Alongside efforts to increase housing production, Council President Miller and President Pro Tempore Juan M. Pichardo (Ward 9) are advancing rent stabilization to protect tenants from sudden and unsustainable rent increases. According to the sponsors, addressing the housing crisis requires both building more homes and ensuring they remain affordable to the people of Providence. The Council has taken a host of other actions to help increase the supply of housing that is affordable to working-class residents from allocating tens of millions of dollars in new funding for the Providence Housing Trust Fund to prioritizing inclusionary zoning policies in the 2024 Comprehensive Plan. The Council also created a requirement for the Housing Trust Fund to be used strictly for low- and moderate-income housing (below 80% AMI). To learn more about the City Council’s work to combat the housing crisis through increasing housing supply, protecting our housing stock, and stabilizing rent, visit the Housing Hub.
The BUILD Act will be formally introduced at tomorrow evening’s City Council meeting on the third floor of City Hall. The Act can be viewed in full on the Open Meetings Portal.
by Council Staff | Mar 26, 2026 | Add Council Logo
Providence, RI – Tonight, the Providence City Council’s Special Committee on Health, Opportunity, Prosperity, and Education (HOPE) voted unanimously to advance the proposed rent stabilization ordinance out of committee, recommending passage with amendments shaped by months of public engagement and policy research.
The committee’s recommendation follows a robust public process that included community listening sessions across Providence, more than seven hours of public testimony before the full committee, and over 900 written comments submitted to the City Clerk. Feedback from tenants, property owners, housing advocates, nonprofit developers, and policy experts directly informed a series of amendments that strengthened and clarified the proposal.
“We’ve taken the time to do this right,” said President Pro Tempore Juan M. Pichardo (Ward 9). “We committed ourselves to an open, deliberate process, spending years listening to residents, engaging with stakeholders, and grounding our work in research. The result is a balanced ordinance we are proud to recommend to the full Council—one that brings stability to renters while ensuring property owners can continue to maintain and invest in their buildings. It responds with urgency that matches the scale of the housing crisis, and with deep care for everyone affected, both renters and small, local landlords.”
Prior to the vote, the committee heard a virtual presentation from Tram Hoang, the Senior Housing Associate at PolicyLink. Hoang, a national expert on rent stabilization and tenant protections, gave her testimony as part of the sponsors’ continued effort to ground the ordinance in research and best practices.
The amended ordinance limits excessive rent increases, bringing predictability and stability to renters while maintaining clear pathways for property owners to address legitimate operating costs and invest in their buildings. Council sponsors emphasized that the ordinance is part of a broader housing strategy that includes increasing housing supply, protecting existing housing stock, and stabilizing rent costs for Providence residents. Changes made during the committee process include strengthened Rent Board procedures, clearer standards for substantial rehabilitation, and updates to the treatment of new construction.
The members of the committee are Juan M. Pichardo, Shelley Peterson, Miguel Sanchez, Justin Roias, and Sue AnderBois. The ordinance will receive its first consideration by the full City Council at its April 2 meeting. The proposal must be approved twice by a majority of the Council before being sent to the Mayor for signature.
by Council Staff | Mar 19, 2026 | Add Council Logo
Providence, RI – Tonight, Providence City Council held a full meeting in the Council Chamber on the third floor of City Hall, where councilors presented several ordinances and resolutions on the topic of housing.
Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1) introduced a Rent Housing Subsidy Ordinance, which would establish the Rental and Essential Needs Transition, or RENT Fund, and provide up to $3,000 in emergency one-time financial assistance to households at imminent risk of housing loss, shut-off of utilities, or insurance coverage loss. As written, the $800,000 in rental assistance funds would help up to 300 Providence households. This measure was announced earlier this week at a press conference with Mayor Brett Smiley and members of the City Council.
“Families can scrimp and save, plan and budget, but unexpected emergencies happen,” said Councilman Goncalves. “We created the RENT Fund because evictions ruin people’s lives. This fund will provide short-term relief to help struggling tenants through those moments of crisis so they can stay in their homes and communities.”
Like last year’s rental algorithm price-setting ban and the current proposed rent stabilization ordinance, the creation of an emergency eviction prevention fund is a recommendation from the 2025 Housing Crisis Task Force Report. According to the report, “[e]ven modest, one-time rental assistance payments have been shown to prevent displacement, stabilize families, and reduce the need for costly emergency shelter and rehousing services.”
The ordinance, which is sponsored by all 15 councilors, was referred to the Committee on Finance.
Councilors passed a resolution on the floor in opposition to H-8006, a Rhode Island State bill that would expand “8-Law,” which was originally designed to ensure fair and consistent taxation for low-income housing, to allow commercial-to-residential projects to qualify for a tax break if just 10% of the units in it are affordable to households making up to 120% of the area median income. The resolution raises concerns that the proposal undermines municipal taxing authority and shifts the burden onto local taxpayers.
“Workforce housing, while critically important, is not low-income housing, and municipalities cannot afford to tax it as if it were,” said Council President Rachel Miller (Ward 13). “Conversions are highly expensive, and the City Council is a willing partner in providing appropriate subsidies to enable them, provided that the granting authority rests with municipalities. As written, this bill would subsidize the wealthiest developers in the state while shifting the burden onto homeowners and other property owners.”
Earlier this month, Council President Miller sent a letter of opposition to the Committee on Municipal Government and Housing. The full letter is available upon request.
Councilors heard another ordinance in line with recommendations from the Housing Crisis Task Force Report. Councilwoman Shelley Peterson (Ward 14), who led the Student Housing Task Force for about two years, introduced an amendment to the zoning ordinance establishing Student Housing Overlay Districts. The ordinance would create overlay districts to allow for higher-density off-campus student housing in designated areas surrounding colleges, while establishing a clear review process and standards to protect surrounding neighborhoods from overconcentration and gentrification. It is designed to ensure community voices are heard and considered in the development process, and to better plan, manage, and align student housing growth with the needs of the broader neighborhood beyond the immediate surrounding streets.
“Providence is very much a college town, so we need to protect our neighborhoods while accommodating student housing needs,” said Councilwoman Peterson. “This overlay district will help the city manage student housing density in a way that works for long-term Providence residents as well.”
The proposed ordinance was referred to the Special Committee on Health, Opportunity, Prosperity, and Education (HOPE Committee).
Councilors also heard a resolution in support of deed fraud protection bills at the General Assembly. President Pro Tempore Juan M. Pichardo (Ward 9) worked on related legislation during his tenure as a Rhode Island State Senator. The resolution was referred to the HOPE Committee.
Several additional resolutions supporting state legislation, including many that focused on childcare, were referred to the Special Committee on State Legislative Affairs.
The next regular City Council meeting will convene on April 2, 2026.
