Is there a lack of affordable housing in Barrington or have wages not kept pace?

That debate surfaced during the Barrington Town Council meeting in September. Early in the meeting, Matthew Heffner spoke to the Council about the cost of housing in Barrington. 

Heffner said he grew up in Barrington on South Meadow Lane and now lives in Riverside. His recent house search started in Barrington, Heffner said, but he quickly realized the housing market challenges in town. 

He said he found a two-bedroom condo for sale in the Bay Spring neighborhood, but it sold for $317,500, which was $100,000 more than its assessed price. 

Heffner said he found a home for sale in the Maple Avenue neighborhood, but could not afford it. The house sold for $387,500 — a jump of $122,500 from when it sold three years earlier. Heffner said a contractor who owns 16 houses in Barrington purchased the home, remodeled it shortly thereafter, and flipped it for $635,000. 

Toward the end of Heffner’s presentation, the former resident said Barrington officials should consider creating tax credits to incentivize the construction of smaller houses, especially for senior citizens and special needs residents in need of supportive housing.

“Incentivizing the construction of smaller units would allow people looking to downsize to finally do just that, which in turn would help families looking to buy their old homes take their place,” Heffner said. 

He added that smaller homes would also maximize green space in town, minimize the impact on local schools, and ensure that current residents can continue to call Barrington home.

Janine Wolfe offered a different opinion,

The Barrington resident spoke toward the end of the Council meeting during the public comment period and countered information shared by Heffner and by Brenda Clements, the director of Housing Works RI who also spoke during the meeting about a need for more affordable housing in Barrington. 

Wolfe said the message that the housing stock is insufficient is inaccurate — she believes the problem is with wages. Wolfe said corporate America is not paying workers enough and that is resulting in the housing problems. If people earned more money, she said, they could afford the available housing. 

Wolfe called for better paying jobs and more of them.

She also questioned the messaging from affordable housing advocates. She said the pro-affordable housing crowd is misleading people.

Wolfe said the answer is not government-subsidized housing — that approach just digs deeper into taxpayers’ pockets. 

She said it is not the rent that eats first, as Clement had shared earlier in the meeting. It’s the government that eats first, Wolfe said. 

She also said it would be better to empower people so that they can afford the housing on the market, rather than habituate them as “people in need.” 

Heffner’s ideas

Heffner offered a few ideas that he believes may help home-buyers in Barrington. 

• He suggested Barrington officials adjust the down payment assistance program’s limits to a certain percentage of the prior month’s median house rather than a stagnant price reflecting a snapshot further back in time. 

• He said Barrington can place a tax on the sale of non-primary residences and earmark the revenue for both the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and the down payment program. 

• He recommends Barrington create tax credits to incentivize the construction of smaller houses, especially for senior citizens and special needs residents.