Bills would speed reuse of state land and create a housing land bank to lower development costs

Lawmakers and housing advocates described two related proposals at the March 20 committee hearing aimed at increasing housing production by putting state and other public land to work.

Representative Noray introduced House Bill 5802, which would create an expedited permitting path for development of state‑owned vacant, abandoned or underutilized land for housing. Under the bill, projects would be reviewed by the statewide permitting council at a public hearing; the developer or state partner would need to show conformity with the State Guide Plan, needs for health and safety including provision of affordable housing, alignment with local design standards when feasible and no detrimental traffic or stormwater impacts.

Representative Speakman introduced House Bill 5955 to create a land bank within the Department of Housing. The land bank would identify, acquire and assemble publicly owned vacant or underused land and make it available for housing development in coordination with community development corporations and other public‑purpose developers. Sponsors said land costs are a major driver of housing prices and that using public land can reduce acquisition costs and accelerate projects.

Supporters and evidence - Demonstrating support for using public land, witnesses cited a Department of Housing Furman report showing public land use could reduce development costs by millions of dollars in aggregate and enable more affordable projects. - Reclaim Rhode Island, neighborhood organizations and community development corporations testified in favor of the bills. Dan Denver (Reclaim Rhode Island) told the committee Rhode Island currently lacks a comprehensive inventory of publicly held vacant land and that a land bank coupled with an inventory and public‑developer model could unlock sites for community‑oriented housing.

Agency coordination and questions Speakers noted technical issues remain, including coordination among state agencies, clarifying transfer and title processes, and defining criteria for which public parcels would be appropriate for housing. Committee members said they expected to work with the Department of Housing and Administration to resolve details.

Ending The committee received testimony and closed the hearing for the evening. Proponents said the two measures together would reduce one of the largest cost barriers to housing — land acquisition — and provide an organized path for community and state partners to develop homes on public land.