Gov. Dan McKee and the Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing have announced $9.5 million in awards through the Housing 2030 Public Developer Program, including $4.5 million for a new affordable housing development in Newport.
The bond-funded program is designed to help public housing authorities and their nonprofit affiliates develop and preserve affordable rental housing. The two awarded developments will together create 102 affordable rental homes, including 50 for extremely low-income Rhode Islanders.
“Rhode Islanders need more affordable housing options in every community, and these awards will help deliver exactly that,” McKee said. “By investing in our Public Housing Authorities and their nonprofit partners, we’re creating new opportunities for older adults, people with disabilities, and families with the greatest housing needs while continuing to move Rhode Island closer to our Housing 2030 goals.”
The program is funded through the $120 million housing bond approved by voters in 2024 and supports the state’s goal of permitting 2,250 affordable rental homes by the end of 2030.
In Newport, the Housing Authority of the City of Newport will use its $4.5 million award to support the construction of Park View Terrace, a new 51-unit development for older adults and individuals with disabilities on housing authority-owned land. All 51 apartments will be fully accessible and affordable, with 39 households earning up to 30% of area median income and the remaining units serving households earning between 50 and 60% of that figure.
The project will leverage additional investments, including $300,000 in HUD capital funds, $200,000 in deferred developer fees and a $170,000 predevelopment grant, and the housing authority has secured operating subsidies for all 51 units through project-based vouchers and Rental Assistance Demonstration subsidies.
“Thanks to the bold investments of the McKee Administration, Park View Terrace will be a vital housing resource to both Newport and Rhode Island,” said Rhonda Mitchell, executive director of the Housing Authority of Newport. “Nearly half of all Newport renters struggle with housing cost burdens. We are incredibly proud to work with our state, federal, and local officials to address this housing crisis by preserving and producing quality affordable homes for the residents and communities we serve.”
The second award, $5 million, went to Gemini Housing Corporation, a joint venture of the Coventry and Smithfield housing authorities, to support Winsor Gardens in Smithfield. That project will transform the former Winsor School into 29 affordable homes for older adults and construct an adjacent 22-unit building, creating 51 new rental homes in total.
“Secretary of Housing Deborah Goddard said the awards will help local housing authorities lead transformative projects. “These investments will help our local housing authorities lead transformative projects that provide stable, affordable housing for residents with the lowest incomes while strengthening communities across our state,” she said.
The program prioritized projects that leveraged federal operating subsidies and other funding sources, preserved existing public housing while adding units, demonstrated readiness to proceed and incorporated sustainable and accessible design.
