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Senate committee reviews land bank bill to speed redevelopment, holds measure for further study
Summary
Senators heard testimony supporting a bill to create a Department of Housing land bank to identify and transfer vacant public land for housing. Questions about seed funding and program mechanics came up; the committee voted to hold the bill for further study.
Senator Coleman presented legislation to create a land bank within the Rhode Island Department of Housing, saying the measure would streamline how state and municipal entities identify and transfer vacant and unused property to support housing development. "This is a land bank bill," the sponsor said, describing it as a tool to help the state's affordable housing shortage by "streamlining some of our processes."
The bill would require state and municipal entities to provide the Department of Housing an annual list of vacant and unused properties and to share plans for developing those properties. The Department would have authority to acquire properties "by…
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