Barrington breaks ground on housing

BARRINGTON – Town officials have broken ground on the community’s first town-sponsored affordable housing development.
Known as Walker Farm Lane, the development on 1.8 acres will include 10 single-family homes and a single two-family home. Families earning up to 100 percent of the area median income – $72,100 for a family of four – are eligible to purchase the homes.
“Providing affordable housing in a nearly built-out community is a challenge,” said Peter DeAngelis, Barrington’s town manager. “Forming partnerships working towards this goal has proven to be effective and rewarding, as we break ground on the first town-sponsored development.”
The $1.4 million project includes money from the Building Homes Rhode Island program, community-development block grants, Rhode Island Housing’s HOME program and the NeighborWorks America pre-development program.
Barrington purchased the property using a bridge loan from Rhode Island Housing, with an eye toward meeting a state goal of having 10 percent of the town’s housing stock affordable. The town later selected Providence-based West Elmwood Housing Development Corp. to develop the site, which included a farmhouse, barn and a former fire station.
“More and more Rhode Islanders are starting to struggle with job loss or reduced income and it has become even more important to build homes that are safe, healthy and affordable to families,” said Rhode Island Housing Executive Director Richard Godfrey. &#8226