Long Term Goals
- Rhode Island is a place where every person benefits from flourishing neighborhoods and downtowns/Main streets, access to good affordable housing, restored and protected natural resources, and a just, thriving, and resilient economy.
- Rhode Island is a national model for smart growth and inclusive, informed decision making.
- Rhode Island is a healthy place offering abundant opportunities for walking, biking, and other forms of recreation for its diverse population.
- Rhode Island is recognized as a national leader for reducing disparities in health, economic and social justice outcomes for all Rhode Islanders.
- Residents, visitors, and businesses have excellent access to convenient, efficient, and user-friendly transportation options for getting across town, the state, and the region beyond.
- Rhode Island Maintains its outstanding but fragile urban/rural balance by safeguarding its farms, forests, rivers, and the Bay — so that all can provide opportunities for recreation, nourishment, a source of commerce, and access to exceptional natural assets for this and future generations.
Downtown and Main Street Revitalization
- Establish Main Street RI as a Coordinating Main Street program aligned with Main Street America in order to support local Main Street programs, especially
in under served communities. - Support targeted Federal, State and local relief for the heavily impacted state tourism, food and arts/culture sectors that are critical components of Main Street and Downtown revitalization.
- Ensure smooth and transparent implementation of the recently adopted new State funding commitments for incentivizing the rehab of historic and other underutilized buildings.
- Expand the State’s existing “Super TIF” redevelopment incentive program beyond the Pawtucket/Central Falls Train District.
Create a More Thriving and Just Economy Through Housing and Land Use Reform
Housing
- Statewide Zoning reform to expand options for multi-family, mixed use, and transit-oriented development.
- Confront Rhode Island’s Housing Supply and Affordability crisis in part by persuading the Low Mod Housing Act Commission on which we serve to recommend significant new incentives for production of affordable workforce housing along with boosts to the capacity of municipalities and CDC’s to undertake such initiatives.
- Enact a housing production incentive modeled after a Massachusetts program 40-R to expand multi-family housing development in smart growth locations.
- Support $250 million investment in production of additional affordable workforce housing in the draft State Budget.
- Municipal Infrastructure Grant program — support supplemental capitalization of the 2018 enacted program at $20 million per year for three years to unlock housing and economic redevelopment opportunities in urban and town centers and along transit corridors.
Economic Development
- Local Development Fellows Program and a State Community Development entity – support implementation of key revitalization recommendations of the state’s Economic Strategy, including establishment of a Local Development Fellows Program and a State Community Development entity to help assemble financing for priority community development projects
- Promote the Governor’s proposal to invest $35M in the South Quay Marine Terminal in East Providence and $60 M in the Port of Davisville for supporting the development of the state’s offshore wind supply chain.
- Leverage key findings and policy reform implications of the population growth study that Grow Smart RI commissioned in 2020 entitled Analysis of the Economic Impact of Population Growth in Providence to inform opportunities for better accommodating economic growth.
Transportation & Climate
- Establish Main Street RI as a Coordinating Main Street program aligned with Main Street America in order to support local Main Street programs, especially
in under served communities. - Support targeted Federal, State and local relief for the heavily impacted state tourism, food and arts/culture sectors that are critical components of Main Street and Downtown revitalization.
- Ensure smooth and transparent implementation of the recently adopted new State funding commitments for incentivizing the rehab of historic and other underutilized buildings.
- Expand the State’s existing “Super TIF” redevelopment incentive program beyond the Pawtucket/Central Falls Train District.
Natural Resource Conservation
Solar Siting Reform
- Reform renewable energy laws (including virtual net metering) by making RI’s most important forests and habitat ineligible for renewable energy incentives, defining developed/disturbed areas as preferred sites and establishing disincentives to discourage utility scale solar in non-preferred sites.
- Continue working with a number of rural and suburban RI communities for the purpose of establishing new zoning ordinances to help these communities make environmentally sustainable and economically beneficial decisions about the siting of renewable energy projects.
Land Conservation
- Finalize our work with the Town of Charlestown on the development and adoption of a model Conservation Development Ordinance.
Forest Conservation
- Ensure that the RI Forest Conservation Commission we helped to establish and on which we are serving enhances state financial support for forests and expands awareness of the multiple environmental, recreational and economic benefits of RI’s forests
- Mobilize support for both the existing forest conservation element within the Governor’s proposed Green Economy Bond and advocates’ proposal for a bicycle mobility element
Grow Smart RI’s Mission Statement
To lead and engage Rhode Islanders in advancing neighborhood revitalization, environmental stewardship, and economic opportunity for all.
Our Office
144 Westminster Street, Suite 303
Providence, RI 02903