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.
by Council Staff | Mar 12, 2026 | Add Council Logo
Today, Providence City Council sponsors of the proposed rent stabilization ordinance announced a slate of amendments shaped by extensive public engagement, policy research, and stakeholder feedback.
The amendments respond to suggestions and feedback raised during multiple community listening sessions throughout the city, a public hearing that lasted more than five hours, and more than 700 written comments submitted to the City Clerk. Councilors also reviewed feedback from the Mayor’s administration, and from organizations including RIHousing, Stop Wasting Abandoned Property Inc. (SWAP Inc.), and the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island (ACLU of Rhode Island).
The amendments clarify exemptions, elaborate on Rent Board procedures, address substantial rehabilitation and utility cost issues, and revise the ordinance’s treatment of new construction. Taken together, the proposed amendments fine-tune the ordinance, while preserving its central goal of ensuring rent increases are stable and predictable for tenants while maintaining clear pathways for property owners to address legitimate operating costs.
“Good policy is built through listening and careful refinement,” said Council President Rachel Miller. “Over the past several months, the ordinance has been shaped by the people who will live with it. We’ve heard from renters, nonprofit developers, property owners, and policy experts. These amendments reflect what we learned. They strengthen the proposal while keeping its core purpose intact: bringing stability to Providence’s rental market while ensuring property owners have the flexibility they need to maintain and invest in their buildings.”
The public is invited to submit additional comments on the proposed amendments or share their feedback at the Tuesday, March 17 meeting of the Special Committee on Health, Opportunity, Prosperity, and Education (HOPE) at 6 p.m. on the third floor of City Hall.
The following are key highlights of the proposed amendments.
New Construction Exemptions
The amendments modify the ordinance’s new construction exemption in several significant ways.
First, the base exemption period for new construction has been reduced from 15 years to 10 years. This preserves a fair transition period for new development while ensuring that units enter the rent stabilization framework within a reasonable timeframe.
Second, a longer 20-year exemption is made available for developments that meet strong labor standards. Projects where workers are paid prevailing wages and where at least 10% of total project hours are performed by registered apprentices will qualify for the longer exemption. This approach provides a pathway to a longer exemption for projects that create high-quality construction jobs, invest in local workers, support apprenticeship pipelines, and strengthen the state’s skilled building trades.
Third, the retroactive application of the exemption has been narrowed. Instead of applying to buildings up to 15 years old, the exemption will now apply only to units that received certificates of occupancy within five years prior to the ordinance’s effective date.
Together, these changes ensure that the exemption supports continued housing development while also strengthening local labor standards.
Affordable Housing Exemptions
The ordinance’s affordable housing exemptions have been revised based on feedback from nonprofit housing developers.
The updated language replaces the original provisions with clearer exemptions for deed-restricted affordable housing and publicly operated or project-based subsidized housing. These are clarifying amendments that match the language to the original intent.
The revised language incorporates the definition used in Rhode Island’s Low and Moderate Income Housing Act, which reflects the typical 30-year affordability restrictions used in most housing programs. It also distinguishes project-based assistance from tenant-based vouchers, which do not limit rent and therefore should not be exempted from the ordinance.
The amendments also direct the Executive Director of the Rent Board to maintain a limited registry of exempt units for transparency and administrative clarity.
Substantial Rehabilitation
The amendments add a clear definition and process for substantial rehabilitation, addressing concerns raised by RIHousing about how the ordinance would treat major renovation projects.
Substantial rehabilitation is defined as a comprehensive renovation that replaces or significantly upgrades at least two major building systems and where construction costs reach at least 15% of the property’s post-rehabilitation value. Cosmetic improvements, routine maintenance, or finish upgrades do not qualify. The amendments establish a process that allows property owners to petition the Rent Board to establish a new base rent for the first tenancy after a qualifying rehabilitation project is completed. In technical terms, it provides for the possibility of one-time vacancy decontrol in the case of substantial rehabilitation.
Utilities and Master-Metered Buildings
The sponsors also addressed concerns raised about master-metered buildings, where utilities are not separately metered and billed by apartment. This is common in older housing stock.
The ordinance already allows landlords to petition the Rent Board for above-standard rent increases based on documented operating cost increases, including utilities. To ensure this issue receives appropriate attention, the amendments now direct the Rent Board to specifically address relief for landlords of master-metered buildings in its rulemaking procedures.
Strengthening Rent Board Procedures
Several amendments clarify how the Rent Board will operate and adopt regulations.
These updates respond to feedback from the ACLU of Rhode Island and many individual testimonies. The amendments add advance notice requirements, a public comment period, a petition process allowing Providence residents to request rulemaking, and a limited emergency rule procedure. Additional changes clarify the roles of the Rent Board and its Executive Director, ensuring a clear distinction between the Board’s policy rulemaking authority and the Director’s day-to-day administrative procedures, and that the Board’s authority is final in the event of a conflict.
As the Council models a robust public feedback process on this ordinance, these changes signal to an incoming board the sponsors’ expectations that transparency and community engagement continue in earnest through the rulemaking process.
Budgetary, Legal, Administrative, and Minor Updates
Additional amendments make several technical, legal, and budgetary improvements to the ordinance.
The amendments establish compensation for Rent Board members, with a stipend starting at $10,000 per year for members and $12,000 per year for the chair. Limited compensation for the Board members is intended to recognize their unique and critical role in the ordinance’s successful enforcement.
In private meetings and public testimony, Mayor Smiley and his administration repeatedly criticized a line in the ordinance that Board funds “be sufficient to ensure full implementation of the Board’s duties.” The amendments remove this line to avoid creating an enforceable statutory obligation that the city cannot guarantee. Removing it does not in any way prevent nor discourage City Council from fully funding the Board with the resources it would need to be successful.
The amendments also modestly expand the owner-occupied exemption from properties with up to three units to properties with up to four units. This aligns the ordinance with federal mortgage standards used by programs administered by RIHousing, which treat owner-occupied properties with up to four units as small residential properties eligible for first-time homebuyer financing. This is intended to ensure the policy does not discourage owner-occupants from purchasing small multifamily homes.
A provision related to misinformation was removed following guidance from the ACLU of Rhode Island to avoid potential First Amendment concerns.
A complete redline of the proposed amendments is available here.
These amendments reflect months of research, community engagement, and policy refinement. Sponsors believe the updated ordinance represents a balanced, Providence-specific approach to addressing rising housing costs—providing stability and predictability for renters while ensuring property owners retain the ability to successfully manage their properties. As the proposal continues through the Council process, sponsors remain committed to a thoughtful public dialogue about how Providence can build more housing while protecting the residents who call the city home.
The ordinance will continue through the committee process in the coming weeks before returning to the full City Council for consideration. The next chance for community feedback will be at the HOPE committee meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17th.
by Council Staff | Mar 9, 2026 | Add Council Logo
Today, the Providence City Council announced the formation of a working group on its role in Providence Public School District (PPSD) governance—a focused, time-limited body tasked with preparing the Council for its responsibilities when PPSD returns to local control. The working group’s efforts will complement ongoing work led by the Mayor’s administration, the Providence School Board, PPSD, and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), including the Mayor’s Return to Local Control Cabinet established in 2023 and RIDE’s Stakeholder Collaboration Working Group established in 2024. While current governance rests with RIDE and future governance would rest with the School Board, this group’s focus is ensuring that, when the City Council is asked to fulfill its role, it does so effectively.
“The City has been doing an incredible job working with the schools to prepare for return to local control. City Council wants to ensure we are prepared to make that transition as effectively as possible,” said Working Group Chair Jill S. Davidson (Ward 2). “This Working Group is an opportunity for us to identify any related matters that require City Council’s attention and action ahead of time, and I am looking forward to working with this group of stakeholders who are contributing truly meaningful insight and experience.”
PPSD has been under State intervention since the 2019–2020 school year. In 2024, the intervention was extended through 2027, though the Council, Mayor, and School Board are requesting a return to local governance this summer. When governance returns to the City, Providence will assume significant fiscal and structural responsibilities related to the District. The City Council plays a direct role in that process through its authority to appropriate funding for PPSD and oversee procurement. The working group will examine what the Council needs in place to effectively fulfill those responsibilities.
The members of the working group include:
- Jill S. Davidson, Providence City Council, Chair
- Justin Roias, Providence City Council
- Nathan Biah, Rhode Island General Assembly State Representative
- Heidi Silviero, Providence School Board
- Sheila Dormody, City of Providence, Chief of Policy and Resiliency
- Paula Dillon, Providence Public Schools, Deputy Superintendent of Academics
- Drew Echelson, Rhode Island Department of Education, Deputy Commissioner
- Cindy Robles, Providence Teachers Union, President
- Melissa Hughes, PPSD parent
- Aubrey Johnson, PPSD parent
- Student Representatives from the OurSchoolsPVD Alliance
The working group will focus on practical questions tied to the Council’s role, including how municipal appropriations for the District should be structured, what financial safeguards and reporting structures would support effective budget oversight, and how coordination should occur among the Council, the Mayor’s administration, and the School Board during and following the transition. The group will also review the long-term financial sustainability of the District budget and other factors that may affect the City’s responsibilities.
The group will receive briefings from municipal finance professionals, individuals familiar with school governance transitions, and other subject matter experts. Community input will also be welcomed as the work proceeds. The working group aims to complete its work by June 5, 2026, producing a written summary of findings and considerations to inform future Council deliberations on budget and policy matters.
Note: Aubrey Johnson was not included in an earlier version of this press release.
