EAST PROVIDENCE — At its monthly meeting for February, the Planning Board heard from experts in the field of affordable housing, what the situation is like in East Providence currently and what is expected in the future.

The board listened to a presentation made by representatives of local non-profit organizations: Annette Bourne of Housing Works Rhode Island, Jennifer Hawkins of One Neighborhood Builders and Joseph Garlic of NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley. Each are either in the process of refurbishing, erecting or studying the matter in the city.

“This is a very important issue facing East Providence and all of Rhode Island,” City Director of Planning and Economic Development Bill Fazioli said in his introductory remarks. Mr. Fazioli noted housing prices here and around the state have accelerated in recent years, seeing double-digit percentage increases even as wages for employees and potential home buyers are “not keeping up at all.”

Mr. Fazioli said it was imperative for city officials to collaborate with community developers like those involved in the February meeting, adding it is “essential to have relationships with groups who have an understanding of the intricacies of the process.”

He continued, pointing out to the board East Providence has several units that qualify in the “affordable” category. What the body and other city officials need to do, he explained, was to make sure those properties are remain or receive deed restrictions, while creating tax policies that incentivize property owners to sustain the affordable status.

Currently, the city is near the state-mandated minimum requirement of maintaining 10 percent of its housing stock as affordable. However, Mr. Fazioli said East Providence could be in “jeopardy” of having that percentage decrease as several market-rate developments currently being constructed are completed.

“A lot of housing built in East Providence was for seniors, so we’ve been kind of fortunate that we fell close to the (minimum percentage) threshold,” Mr. Fazioli said, adding the city currently has approximately 9.8 percent of affordable inventory.

According to statistics from the state, the term affordable is calculated to be households with incomes under 80 percent of area medium income. Key as well is a person’s rent or mortgage is “affordable” if it consumes no more than 30 percent of their gross monthly income.

The director and the guests also spoke about the concept of Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing or “NOAH.” According to various sources on the topic, the term is generally interpreted by advocates and developers as any rental housing that is affordable to low and moderate income households without direct government subsidies.

Many of the buildings, the sources continued, were larger apartment complexes constructed between the 1950s and 1990s and considered to be “functional, but not luxurious.” A sizable amount had date-specific deed restrictions attached, meaning that had to be offered as affordable housing units for upwards of 30, 40 or 50 years. But some of these complexes, including here in East Providence, have had those time restrictions elapse, allowing the current owners to lease them at market rates.

Mr. Fazioli said of managing NOAH properties, “I think it’s a policy we need to pursue and take seriously.”

One such deed restricted complex is “Sutton Place,” located between Massasoit Avenue and Broadway. Ms. Hawkins’ One Neighborhood Builders recently purchased the parcel with two buildings and 36 apartments. One Neighborhood soon expects to renovate the units and will continue to rent them in the affordable category. The anticipated start of the project is possibly as soon as the end of February or during March.

One Neighborhood Builders is the also the developer for the planned new housing complex at the former VAMCO Jewelry site near Riverside Square at Bullocks Point and Fenner Avenues. The plan there is to build 16 rental units: eight two-bedroom flats; four two-bedroom townhouses; and four one-bedroom flats. The anticipated groundbreaking is sometime in 2022.

Mr. Garlick’s NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley is the lead developer of the “Ivy Place” project, which will see the vacant parcel at Ivy Street Taunton Avenue across from City Hall transformed into a mixed-use space of residential and commercial/residential units. He said his organization is in the process of procuring funding from multiple sources to finalize the project.

The East Providence Waterfront Commission, of which Mr. Fazioli sits as chair, last year authorized the use of $744,000 of “in lieu” monies for Ivy Place. The source of the “in lieu” funds are payments made by the developers, such as those at Kettle Point, who wish to divert affordable housing units to another location. The commission also backed funding for some of the Sutton Place project, a total of $200,000.

Ms. Bourne led an overview of the general housing market in city. Her organization was hired by the city to perform a housing needs assessment for East Providence. She suggested exiting the COVID-19 pandemic, industry experts anticipate Rhode Island’s housing market, including East Providence, will to continue its ascendance.

Ms. Bourne referred to the new term coming into the nomenclature during the pandemic, “Zoom” towns, relating to the use of remote technology in several occupations with more residents who work predominantly at home virtually rather than going into an office five days a week.

“Don’t underestimate Rhode Island, living between Boston and New York, in a corridor serviced by rail,” Ms. Bourne said, adding of the city’s lure for homeowners from larger metropolitan areas, “There are very few places where you can live near the water for under $400,000, but you can do that in East Providence.”

Noting the usual complaints about property levies in city and other spots in Rhode Island, Ms. Bourne quipped, “People here talk about taxes, but let me say you don’t know about taxes until you get a tax bill from either Boston or New York.”