The goal is to let people live close to where they work, be able to walk to a neighborhood park or grocery store, and be able to let their children play outside in a safe environment.
A new Rhode Island Housing program called “KeepSpace Communities” is investing $10 million in projects to help make that possible, combining smart growth and affordable housing with support from state agencies and other investors as well.
The idea is not only to create more places where people can live, work and shop within walking distance, but also to preserve what remains of Rhode Island’s green space.
“If you take all of these elements separately, I think we could all imagine how we could put these elements together better if we worked together,” said Rhode Island Housing Executive Director Richard Godfrey. “Instead of seeing the built and natural environments colliding, think about how all these elements can work together.”
The $10 million is to fund or partially fund up to five projects. That investment is likely to be a starting point for partners to increase funding, said Susan Bodington, Rhode Island Housing deputy director for programs. Each of the approved proposals – for which the deadline is Nov. 15 – should demonstrate smart planning for a different type of community: urban, suburban, rural and transit-oriented, said Godfrey.
The initiative is a step toward greater synergy between government organizations and private developers in the drive to build up the state while preserving open space, said Kevin Flynn, associate director of the R.I. Division of Planning. He called the initiative “truly innovative and visionary” for a state where, at the current rates of development, all available land would be used up by 2050.
“The type of development that KeepSpace is trying to promote used to happen naturally, but now communities and developers need help to overcome the hurdles that make this sort of development pattern very difficult to achieve today,” said Flynn.
The R.I. Economic Development Corporation also will work as a partner on the project. Rhode Island agencies are sometimes too “vertical” and only interact in “high-tension collisions,” said Godfrey; this is a change.
“Their mission, their charge, is to bring jobs to Rhode Island. Rhode Island Housing’s mission is to bring affordable housing to Rhode Island. We need to bring those together for a better Rhode Island,” he said.
Grow Smart Rhode Island Executive Director Scott Wolf said smart development in Rhode Island is important because of the state’s urban-rural balance and small size.
“We can’t be as sloppy as a lot of other states that have a lot more room and a lot larger margin for error,” said Wolf.
In talking about KeepSpace Communities, Flynn recognized towns throughout the state that already have taken steps toward smart growth. Burrillville, for example, set up a redevelopment agency in 2001 to focus on redeveloping and revitalizing areas of the town that had already been built up and were declining.
“In Rhode Island, we can’t start over. We have to redo, reuse and rebuild what we have,” said Godfrey. “Recent reports show that by the middle of this century, Rhode Island will be 70 percent urbanized.”
The $10 million is an investment in a different vision for the state, Godfrey said.
“Rhode Islanders want – demand and deserve – good homes, a healthy environment, strong commerce, sensible infrastructure, positive community impacts, integrated arts, recreation, culture and religion,” said Godfrey. “These are the elements of a KeepSpace community.” •
