Narragansett Town Council votes to halt all new construction in town for 60 days
NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (WLNE) – For the next few months, you won’t be seeing any new homes popping up Narragansett. That’s because the town council has voted unanimously on a 60-day moratorium on all new construction in town.
“We’re seeing a lot of dormitory-style homes or structures going up in small residential neighborhoods, and this is something that we feel should’ve been dealt with years ago.”
Town councilor Jesse Pugh said the halt is so that new codes and zoning ordinances can be put in place to stop large multi-bedroom homes from taking over neighborhoods.
“If you’re a family and you’re in a small neighborhood, and you have an 8, 9, 10 bedroom home going up, it’s concerning. You know, you really wouldn’t want to live on a street like that.”
He said it’s happening mostly on the south end of town by Scarborough beach where off-campus housing for students at the University of Rhode Island is a money maker.
“When there is a house for sale, the old saying is, well, I hope an investor doesn’t buy it,” said resident Steven Ferrandi.
Ferrandi, a resident of Narraganset for over 20 years, said it’s been an issue for a long time. He said investors will purchase homes for sale in the town, knock them down, and put in massive homes for students or vacationers.
“We’ve had college students in this neighborhood for quite a long time, but there have only been 2 to 3 per house. Now we’re getting to excessive amounts like 6, 7, 8.”
Ferrandi lives on a street where developers are trying to build two 8-bedroom homes.
“So we’re gonna have 16 bedrooms which is like a mini-hotel. It’s really changing the fabric of the town. We just don’t think this should be the future of Narragansett’s neighborhoods,” said Ferrandi.
He said his neighborhood is becoming less and less family-friendly, and the investors are making it harder for residents to buy property because the prices are being driven up.
“The town really doesn’t have the rules, the ordinances to set forth to protect us. So we’ve really been unprotected for quite a long time.”
During the 60-day moratorium, the town’s planning board will be working to put together rules and ordinances. The council will be planning special meetings to get the ordinances passed, but if needed they can extend it for another 30 days.
© WLNE-TV 2020
