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South Kingstown reappoints three members to Affordable Housing Collaborative
Summary
The Town Council reappointed Amy Crawford, Joshua Whiteport and Megan Sparks to the Affordable Housing Collaborative after brief interviews. Council and members emphasized site selection for the town’s first affordable complex, public education and working with nonprofits and URI partnerships.
The South Kingstown Town Council voted Nov. 26 to reappoint three members to the Affordable Housing Collaborative after interviews with each candidate.
Amy Crawford, Joshua Whiteport and Megan Sparks each described their recent work on the advisory body and priorities should they be reappointed. Crawford, who said she has lived in South Kingstown four years, said the committee’s immediate priority is identifying the location for the town’s first affordable housing complex and advancing applications on one of 10 town-owned properties. “The time is now,” she told the council, urging faster movement on site selection and thanking staff and nonprofit partners for support.
Joshua Whiteport highlighted recent local planning efforts, including a charrette for the Tower Hill Road area and discussions with Union Studios about vacant school properties. He said the committee has shifted toward advocacy, public forums and intermunicipal collaboration with Narragansett and the University of Rhode Island to share ideas and sustain momentum.
Megan Sparks emphasized public education, noting the committee has organized town meetings and invited experts from Women’s Development Corporation and Habitat for Humanity to explain development and affordability tools. Sparks pointed to recent grants from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that helped facilitate projects, including what she described as roughly 80 new affordable units supported through Champaign Heights funding.
Council members asked how they could support the committee; candidates asked for continued engagement, quick responses to committee correspondence and help recruiting additional members. Council discussion following the interviews focused on increasing trust, boosting the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and pushing potential applicants from community partners to submit proposals.
The council’s approval keeps the advisory group active while it continues work on site selection, public outreach and coordinating with nonprofit developers. No formal votes on specific projects were taken during the interviews.
