Like a lot of other places around Rhode Island, Warren has long found itself in a bit of a conundrum when it comes to the matter of housing, though not of its own making.

And that fact was once again reinforced by a presentation made to the town council at its monthly meeting held Tuesday, Feb. 11.

A study conducted by the Geographic Information System firm Weston & Sampson, the review of which at last week's forum was led by staff senior project planner Susan Mara, basically emphasized pretty much what each of the councilors and many in the administration already knew.

Warren doesn't quite reach what the state deems as the minimum rate of affordable units, 10 percent, but if one burrows down into the numbers it's actually pretty darn close.

And even when some of the planned housing developments, those controversial or not, come to fruition at some point, the town will still remain short of those aforementioned state expectations.

At the minute, Warren's current low-and moderate-income (LMI) housing percentage, the marker the state uses to determine if a municipality is meeting its mandate, is 3.85%. However, the town does have several properties that could and/or should be included in the equation used to reach that rate.

Mara's findings determined incomes in Warren haven't kept pace with housing costs. Since 2012, the town's median home price increased 128%, but median income only rose 49%. That means many are priced out of homeownership and other struggle to afford rentals.

About Warren's overall housing stock, the study found 41% of renters and 19% of homeowners spend more than 30% of their income solely on housing. The renter median income is $39,000, lowest median income for renters in the East Bay and significantly lower than homeowner median income of $113,000 in the area.

Also, adults 50-years and older make up a large share of the population, which increases demand for smaller, accessible homes. In addition, the flood-prone Market Street neighborhood has a high concentration of lower-income renters, creating displacement risks as climate change encroaches.

In response to the Weston & Sampson review, Town Council President Joseph DePasquale noted Warren has "spent a little bit of money and a lot of time and did a survey of our own trying to give an educated reason why we wanted the (minimum affordable housing) law changed.

He continued, "I think we were almost at 15% with your naturally occurring apartments, availble housing  that would meet if they changed some of the of the rules. I know we tried for years, we're still trying...the biggest barrier to affordable housing is the definition and the one size that fits all. It's just impeding towns on their ability to figure out what's best for themselves, being told by the state what to do, and it doesn't necessarily fit."

The Weston & Sampson study included the following recommendations on how to contend with the comprehensive permit issue: proactively increasing affordable housing production to 10% could help manage concerns; support permanent affordability instead of 30-year restrictions; and advocate regional strategies to distribute affordable housing needs across multiple towns.

Mara sympathized with the position of the town, especially as it contends with the  state's comprehensive permitting process, which, as Warren found out firsthand, allows developers significant leeway to build out its plans if it makes at least 25 percent of the dwellings  available in the LMI category.

"When you do 25% of the development as affordable housing, say you get 10 new affordable units, you're still adding to the denominator," Mara said. "So even though you add 10, it's tough. It is tough, so it's almost like you have to have a fully affordable development, 100% affordable. Those kind of developments will help you get there faster."

Of course, though, the associated costs, regardless of the composition of the development still puts towns like Warren, especially because of the limited suitable building space available, on its heels as needs to provide infrastructure and other support mechanisms like public safety and services.

DePasquale reiterated the town's interest in seeing the legislation soon amended in a way that gives municipalities more maneuverability.

"We want to comply. We worked so hard in our comprehensive plan trying to maintain development in the right places and trying to create zoning maps that encourage commercial development and protect our sensitive areas," DePasquale said.

Of the Weston & Sampson review, he added, "We're going to use this. We're not going to let it just sit on the shelf. We'll continue to fight the good fight."