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Consultants outline options for workforce housing on three town sites
Summary
Union Studio and Peregrine Group briefed the council on community feedback and potential schemes (cottage courts, townhouses, moderate multifamily) for three town sites being studied for workforce housing, stressing design options to fit village character and noting tradeoffs in unit counts and affordability targets (roughly 60–120% AMI).
Union Studio and the Peregrine Group presented the South Kingstown Affordable Housing Initiative update on Oct. 28, summarizing four community sessions and a boards‑and‑commissions briefing that explored redevelopment options for three municipal sites: South Road School, Wakefield Elementary and the Oliver Watson House.
Consultant Jeremy Lake said the exercise aimed to provide "options on the table," not to decide final uses. For each site the team produced a range of schemes—single‑family cottage courts, mixed townhouses, and moderate multifamily—bracketing potential densities and unit counts (examples included approximately 45–90 units for larger sites depending on scheme). The consultants emphasized workforce housing targets roughly in the 60–120% area median income (AMI) band rather than deep subsidy rental units.
Community feedback, the consultants reported, showed limited outright opposition to housing reuse of the targeted sites but expressed concerns about scale, compatibility with village character, traffic, preserving public amenities (playgrounds and sledding hills), and restricting short‑term rentals. The team recommended further refinement to address buffers, setbacks and design variety and suggested returning to council and the community in early December with revised options that reflect committee input.
Councilors and residents asked for additional clarity about tax impacts, parking, and how any future project would limit student‑targeted short‑term rentals. Consultants and staff said next steps include more detailed feasibility work, estimating yield and costs for preferred schemes and continuing public engagement before any acquisition, rezoning or disposition decisions.
What’s next: staff and consultants plan a follow‑up in early December to present revised concepts and feasibility figures for council and public review.
