Habitat For Humanity built on 3.2 acres of land on the corner of Gardiner and Ten Rod Roads in Exeter after it was donated by a developer who built a small subdivision in the area. However, the property is in a part of Exeter where zoning rules say property owners need at least 3 acres of land to build each house.
Zoning restrictions like large lot sizes have been shown to increase housing prices by constraining housing construction and incentivizing building fewer, larger houses.
Rhode Island is not immune. On nearly a third of the land in South County, property owners need at least two acres to build one housing unit, according to data analyzed for The Public’s Radio by HousingWorks RI, a thinktank focused on housing affordability. Across the state, 43% of developable land requires at least two acres of land for a single-family home, according to data provided by the National Zoning Atlas, a project cataloging zoning laws nationwide. It’s 34% in neighboring Connecticut.
When organizations like Habitat cannot build, there are consequences. It means fewer new homes and apartments for buyers and renters. That drives competition and pushes costs higher. In rural Exeter, the median home price is more than $500,000, up nearly 40% in recent years, according to HousingWorks RI, and the monthly cost to homeowners is more than six times what is affordable on minimum wage.
This story was reported by The Public's Radio. You can read the entire story here.
