#MiddletownRI takes another step towards bringing about 30 units of affordable housing to 351-393 East Main Road across from Town Hall.
EAST MAIN AFFORDABLE HOUSING PLAN COMING TOGETHER
MIDDLETOWN, RI (SEPTEMBER 18, 2025) – Middletown continues its work to create affordable housing.
At a meeting Monday night in Town Hall, the Town Council awarded a $45,000 contract to FJS Associates of Middletown to do development and schematic designs for a town affordable housing project at 351-393 East Main Road across from Town Hall.
The money comes from $250,000 in Rhode Island Housing grant funding secured by the town in December 2024.
“Housing is another focus the administration continues to work on,” Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said. “The East Main Road project is continuing. We are currently in the process of preparing an application for a permit with the Planning Board. We hope to have a plan done by the end of the month and getting it to the Planning Board in October.
“At that time, we’ll start working on a solicitation for someone to come in and help us develop the housing units. It’s important to note that we’ve received nearly $2 million from the state to support this initiative and we’re looking to create in the neighborhood of 30 deed restricted homes for first time buyers on the property.”
Over the past several years, affordable housing has evolved into one of the biggest issues in Middletown — and across the country.
In response, the town has taken a multi-pronged effort to grow the existing housing stock, both through its own initiatives and encouraging the private sector.
Thousands of homeowners have taken advantage of the council’s Tiered Residential Tax Program (TRTP) since 2022, saving eligible residents thousands of dollars.
The council adopted new ordinances to make it easier to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and multi-family developments in Middletown, an initiative pushed statewide by the General Assembly.
Rules providing tax incentives to residential landlords who rent their properties longterm were also okayed. The goal was to provide additional incentives to property owners to rent on a year round basis instead of day-to-day like with short-term rentals.
The town has been aggressive about signing off on housing projects, including those with affordable and workforce homes. Close to 600 apartments, condos and houses have been approved or are on the boards in town — or close to 10 percent of the community’s existing housing stock.
This includes the Middletown Center at 600-740 West Main Road that earned a positive advisory recommendation — with conditions — from the Planning Board.
The council has a second special meeting scheduled for Sept. 30 at 6 pm in the Middletown High School cafetorium for public hearings on amendments to the town’s comprehensive plan and zoning ordinances needed for the project to move forward.
Work has been progressing steadily at Rosebrook Commons at 1747 West Main Road, formerly home to the Skater Island indoor skatepark. Approximately 144 apartments are planned for the space, including more than 50 that are affordable.
In April, the council turned back plans for 72 units of affordable housing at 26 Oliphant Lane and 650 Green End Ave., saying those projects were too large and intense for those neighborhoods.
Since then, town officials have been focusing on how to push the proposal for 351-393 East Main Road forward.
Affordable housing consultant Frank Spinella of FJS Associates said the council has already approved the concept designs for the East Main Road property. He said that means the project itself doesn’t need to go before the town’s top elected body again.
“The design has already come back to the council and you’ve approved the design, so now it’s really just the technical work,” Spinella said. “The drainage, we work with the Planning Department and public works and (the state Department of Environmental Management) and state (Department of Transportation) to get through the planning process and ultimately get a comprehensive permit.”
However, Spinella said the council would be responsible for awarding the RFP to a firm to partner with the town to build the project once those applications were submitted to the town.
He said ideally, the earliest a shovel could be in the ground for construction of the units at 351-393 East Main Road would be around a year from now.
A recent Housing Works RI report showed there are 7,217 housing units in Middletown. Of
those, 56 percent are owner occupied, with the remainder rented out.
The data showed of the owner occupied units, 33 percent were considered “burdened,” meaning they pay more than 30 percent of their gross pay towards housing. Those figures increased to 41 percent for those who rented.
Middletown has about 360 affordable housing units, as defined by state law. That puts the
total percentage of affordable units at close to 5 percent. The goal under state law is to have
at least 10 percent of all housing considered affordable.
Document Link: https://mdl.town/EMRAH-91825
About Middletown
The Town of Middletown is a vibrant municipality located on Aquidneck Island, known for its scenic beauty, historic landmarks, diverse economy and strong sense of community. For more information about all we have to offer, visit MiddletownRI.gov online.
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401-842-6543
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