RI Supreme Court Upholds Zoning Ordinance (Copy)

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Will Restrict Student Housing in Residential Neighborhoods

 

PROVIDENCE (May 27, 2020)…The Rhode Island State Supreme Court today upheld the 2018 ruling by the State Superior Court, regarding an amendment to the Providence zoning ordinance that limits student housing in residential neighborhoods.

In 2015, City Council Majority Leader, Jo-Ann Ryan (Ward 5), introduced an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance that placed a limit on the number of students who could live in non-owner occupied single-family homes. The Amendment was passed by the Council, signed by the Mayor, and later challenged in Court. The Plaintiffs who brought the suit were a landlord and several tenants who claimed the law violated their constitutional rights.

“I am very pleased that the State Supreme Court upheld the City ordinance,” said Majority Leader Jo-Ann Ryan. “This ordinance is about preserving the single-family housing stock and about public safety. Single-family homes were not intended by zoning law to be used as mini-dorms. In a city where individuals and families are finding it harder and harder to find safe and affordable homes, it is imperative that we, as elected officials work to preserve our housing stock and to protect the residential character of our neighborhoods.”

 
Press ReleaseJo-Ann RyanCommunity Relations, Student Housing