Planning board seeks to remove fee‑in‑lieu from affordable‑housing rule; council schedules public hearing

The council voted to schedule a public hearing on a planning‑board proposed amendment to the town code governing affordable housing in five‑lot subdivisions (section 2.2.4). The planning board’s proposal would remove the state‑set fee‑in‑lieu option and instead require an applicant to provide an affordable lot or deed the required unit to the Little Compton Housing Trust or a nonprofit provider.

Why it mattered: Planning‑board members said the state fee is set at a level that will not realistically produce an affordable unit in Little Compton, so the fee‑in‑lieu option hampers local affordable‑housing goals. The amendment would also guard against sequential small subdivisions that might avoid the five‑lot threshold by treating successive applications within 20 years as subject to the rule.

Council action: After brief discussion and clarifying questions about whether the planning board or the developer would propose the specific lot to be dedicated, the council voted to hold a public hearing on the amendment at its second July 2026 meeting so residents can comment.

Next steps: The council will accept public comment at the scheduled hearing and the planning board and staff will prepare the ordinance text and supporting analysis for that meeting.