To the editor:

I write to respond to your editorial of November 29, 2023 in which you offer some comments on affordable housing.  I feel compelled to address the statement that, several years ago (when I was a member of the Barrington Town Council), “emboldened by state law, developers force-fed this community housing developments that were completely incongruous with their surroundings.”

I assume that you are referring to the beautiful Sweetbriar and Palmer Pointe neighborhoods that are home to neighbors, friends, co-workers and schoolchildren who contribute in so many ways to the social fabric of Barrington? Yes, these neighborhoods are more dense than the single-family lots in other parts of town. That is why they are affordable to young familes, health care workers, child care providers, social workers, restaurant workers, secretaries and their families. The suggestion that these homes, full of Barrington families, were force fed to the community, and are incongruous with their surrounding is not only inaccurate, but is downright cruel.

These neighborhoods were developed by a mission-driven, not-for-profit community development corporation.  And yes, the approval process was lengthy, and at times contentious, as any significant changes in land use often are. But you will recall many meetings at Town Hall with the developers and their architects, and many changes made to the look and feel of these neighborhoods to accommodate the suggestions of community members.

There is a severe housing crisis in Rhode Island. We are near the bottom nationally in terms of building permits and housing construction. Home prices and rentals are sky-high and many families are spending much more than 30 percent of their monthly income on housing costs, creating hardships for those households and a drag on all other sectors of the economy.     

The reality is that the free market no longer provides housing for middle and lower-income families in most communities across Rhode Island, and in many other states. The statutory changes that the editors criticize are designed to stimulate production by providing some flexibility in the zoning laws, and yes, by allowing for greater density in some circumstances.   

Every Rhode Island community, including my former community in Barrington, and my current home in Warren where I now live, must do its part.

June Speakman

Warren

Speakman is Representative of District 68 (Bristol and Warren).