Housing commission to meet

STATE HOUSE – The Special Commission to Study the Low and Moderate Income Housing Act will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 1 p.m. in the House Lounge on the second floor of the State House.

On the agenda is a presentation by United Way of Rhode Island of recommendations for potential legislative changes to the Low and Moderate Income Housing Act. The presentation will be made by Cortney M. Nicolato, United Way of Rhode Island president and CEO; Kristina Brown, United Way Program Officer/ Housing & Economic Policy; and Claudia Wack, associate at Klein Hornig LLP.

The meeting will be live streamed at http://rilegislature.gov/CapTV/Pages/default.aspx, and will be televised on Capitol Television, which can be seen on Cox Channels 15 and 61, in high definition on Cox Channel 1061, on Full Channel on Channel 15 and on Channel 34 by Verizon subscribers.

The commission, led by Rep. June S. Speakman (D-Dist. 68, Warren, Bristol), is studying barriers to affordable housing creation and identify ways to help cities and towns meet their obligations under the Low and Moderate Income Housing Act to ensure that at least 10 percent of their housing stock qualifies as affordable.

Besides Chairwoman Speakman, the commission includes House Minority Leader Michael W. Chippendale (R-Dist. 40, Foster, Glocester, Coventry), Rhode Island Foundation President and CEO Neil Steinberg,  ONE Neighborhood Builders President and Executive Director Jennifer Hawkins, Grow Smart Rhode Island Executive Director Scott Wolf, Pawtucket Central Falls Development Corporation Executive Director Linda Weisinger,  Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness Executive Director Caitlin Frumerie, Rhode Island Association of Realtors Government Affairs Director David Salvatore,  Rhode Island Builders Vice President David Caldwell, Housing Network of Rhode Island/Community Housing Land Trust of Rhode Island Executive Director Melina Lodge,  Rhode Island Housing Executive Director Carol Ventura, Robert Marshall of the Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council, Glocester Town Planner Karen Scott, Providence Department of Planning Director Community Development Emily Freedman, Barrington Tax Assessor Ken Mallette and Jongsung Kim of the Bryant University Department of Economics.