Zoning rules don't change on their own. Somebody in town hall has to rewrite the ordinance, and in many small Rhode Island communities that somebody is already stretched thin.
A program that helps them do that work has earned national recognition. The National Council of State Housing Agencies honored RIHousing in its 2026 Annual Awards for Program Excellence, the agency announced Oct. 9. The RIHousing announcement said the agency won in the Special Achievement category for its Municipal Technical Assistance Program, known as MTAP, and in Management Innovation: Human Resources for its approach to employee development.
Turning state law into local rules
Rhode Island has enacted more than 60 housing and land use reforms over five years to remove barriers to housing development, according to RIHousing. For cities and towns, putting those changes in place locally takes expertise, staff time and resources to translate complex state laws into local ordinances and processes.
Through MTAP, RIHousing developed ready-to-use ordinance templates, guidance, visual tools and training resources to help communities understand the new requirements and their local options. The agency developed and published its first suite of resources in just seven weeks, giving municipalities time to work the changes in before statutory deadlines.
The award submission documented assistance to 23 municipalities across 22 projects focused on updating land use and zoning ordinances. RIHousing also contracts with and pays consultants directly, which it says reduces procurement burdens and lets municipal staff focus on carrying out the changes.
According to the agency's program page, MTAP provides technical consulting support for zoning updates, infrastructure assessments, site identification and community engagement, with awards made on a competitive basis. Municipalities pick an eligible consultant and get a proposal with a scope of work, budget and timeline, and RIHousing contracts with the consultant directly if the project is approved. The page lists MTAP alongside a Pipeline Development Program, which helps municipalities identify sites for affordable or mixed-income housing, and a Transit Oriented Development Zoning Program. All three are now closed for applications. The TOD program is funded with federal American Rescue Plan dollars that must be fully spent by Dec. 31, 2026, the page says.
"Cities and towns play an instrumental role in addressing Rhode Island's housing needs, but implementing significant zoning changes and new programs can place added demands on already limited municipal resources," said Randy Rossi, executive director of the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns. "This technical assistance program has provided invaluable support to nearly all of our communities, equipping local officials with the tools and resources they need to plan for and support future housing development."
RIHousing CEO Carol Ventura said, "Creating more housing opportunities takes people who know how to move projects and programs forward, from a local city planner updating zoning rules to an employee helping someone buy their first home."
Deborah Goddard, Rhode Island's secretary of housing and chair of the RIHousing board, said, "Rhode Island is making important progress in addressing the barriers that have made it difficult to build and preserve housing, and that progress depends both on strong policies and the people who put them into action."
The second award recognized RIHousing's employee development work. In 2024, the agency delivered 13 training programs, with multiple sessions generating more than 730 registrations, and it recorded 37 internal promotions between 2023 and 2025.
Why it matters for Contractors
For builders and developers, zoning is often where a project lives or dies. State lawmakers can pass reforms, but a project still has to get through the local ordinance, the local planning board and the local building office.
When those local rules lag behind state law, builders face uncertainty about what is actually allowed. RIHousing says that by providing consistent guidance and updating resources as additional reforms are enacted, it is helping local officials navigate changing requirements and "giving developers a clearer understanding of the rules governing housing development."
Contractors who build or bid on residential work in Rhode Island should keep an eye on their local ordinances. With 23 municipalities assisted across 22 zoning and land use projects, many cities and towns have been updating the land use and zoning rules that shape what can be built and where.
The program page also points to an MTAP Municipal Projects List, which RIHousing says lists awarded municipal projects with short summaries, funding amounts and project status. It's a useful place for builders to check what their own town is working on.