To the editor:

The labels on bills promoted by politicians commonly belie their true intent. The “Patriot Act” after 9/11 is a good example. The increased spying on civilians it allowed would have sent colonial patriots reaching for their muskets and pitchforks.

“Affordable housing” is another.

We certainly need affordable housing in these days of ever increasing home and rental costs, but bills under this title would be better called “developers’ aid”. Those under consideration in Rhode Island seem to fall into this category. The ones first passed in Massachusetts in the 1970s did.

They allowed for evading local zoning, forced a fast track for approval and limited local town control. The immediate result was a series of proposals for development in swamps and when these suffered water problems, there was a demand for the towns to provide expensive remediation. Also, the “affordability” of a few units in the projects quickly disappeared as fast as the profits left town. State-forced quota on towns for such projects adds another level of problems that can destroy neighborhoods.

Actual improvements in low-cost housing need careful consideration in placement, type, safety, traffic, and sustainability as well as trying to control rising prices without harming homeowners. Bristol has several examples of good apartment complexes along Metacom. Ones that are attractive and well landscaped and do not contribute to disruptive neighborhood traffic problems. They are assets to the town. The Bristol Toyota and Benney’s sites would be appropriate for more with mixed, long term, low rentals. However, affordable units are hard to maintain in college towns such as Bristol, where students quickly fill them and exacerbate the problem. The hotel adjacent to CVS on Metacom is an example of what could have been affordable housing, but is now a dorm. Student rentals should be counted for any mandated quota for such housing.

Holding down prices in the first place may be more important than new housing. The lure of profits has attracted absentee landlords who have driven up prices and harmed the fabric of neighborhoods. This is worsened by the need for student housing. The town can correct much of this by only allowing landlord-occupied B&Bs, no more than two unrelated persons per rental unit, requiring off-road parking while prohibiting front yard parking lots, considering outlawing Air BnBs, and other restrictions and taxes on short term (less than a year) rentals. The town council has investigated this problem and now needs to act.

The Robin Rug project fails to satisfy almost all sensible criteria for affordable housing along with having three times the number of units assigned by previous zoning and being exposed to sea level rise and hurricanes. Demolishing it would greatly improve Bristol, although this would probably raise prices.

Patrick Barosh
103 Aaron Ave.