H 8471Cities & Towns

Towns and Cities - Low and Moderate Income Housing - Parking Spaces

This bill allows Coventry to require two parking spaces per unit for certain low- or moderate-income housing developments.

Held for study

Population
Affected

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Introduced Apr 17, 2026Committee House Municipal Government & Housing

Plain-English Summary

This bill allows the town of Coventry to require two parking spaces for every studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom low- or moderate-income housing unit. The town can enforce this requirement if it determines that there is limited or no public transportation or off-street parking available close to the housing units.

For younger readers

This new rule is for the town of Coventry. It says that when builders make apartments for people who don't have a lot of money, the town can ask them to build two parking spots for each apartment. But the town can only ask for this if there aren't many buses or other places to park nearby. This way, the people living there will have a place to park their cars.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Low-income rentersReal estate developersCoventry residentsAffordable housing advocatesTown zoning officials

Impacted communities

Coventry

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

None

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Ensures that low-income residents living in areas without adequate public transit are not burdened with finding or paying for off-site parking.
Prevents housing developers from cutting corners and failing to provide necessary parking amenities for low-income tenants.
Promotes safer and less congested neighborhoods by reducing the overflow of vehicles onto local streets in affordable housing developments.
Increasing parking minimums raises the cost of construction, which could deter developers and reduce the overall supply of affordable housing.
Singles out low- and moderate-income housing for stricter requirements, potentially acting as a discriminatory exclusionary zoning tactic to block these developments.
Encourages automobile dependency and fossil fuel use instead of promoting investments in green public transportation infrastructure.

For Conservatives

Empowers local municipal government to make zoning decisions that best fit their community, reinforcing local control over state mandates.
Protects the property values and quality of life in existing neighborhoods by preventing street crowding and parking shortages from new developments.
Ensures that residents of subsidized housing are responsible for their own vehicle storage rather than burdening public streets.
Imposes additional regulatory burdens and costs on private real estate developers, restricting corporate freedom and free-market building decisions.
Grants the municipal government subjective power to determine what constitutes "reasonable proximity" to transit, which could lead to arbitrary government overreach.
Creates special zoning regulations specifically targeting low- and moderate-income housing rather than applying a uniform free-market standard to all property developments.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 5 additions

SECTION 1. Chapter 45-53 of the General Laws entitled "Low and Moderate Income Housing" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section: 45-53-17. Coventry low- or moderate-income housing parking spaces. The town of Coventry may require two (2) parking spaces for each studio, one-bedroom, or two (2) bedroom low- or moderate-income housing unit upon the municipality's determination that there is limited or no local public transportation or off-street parking availability within a reasonable proximity to these low- or moderate-income housing units.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.