Affordable Housing Subsidy Cut Out of Barrington's CDBG Application

The annual CDBG application for Barrington may never have caused such a stir before. It ended up getting sliced apart.

Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) are the federal funds that Barrington competes for against dozens of other towns in Rhode Island. On Tuesday night, the 2013 application that went before the Town Council for approval ran into significant opposition even before it got out of the Council Chamber.

The councilors voted 3-2 to cut out $123,000 from the application that was recommended as an additional subsidy for West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation of Providence -- the developer that built the Walker Farm Lane housing development in partnership with Barrington.

West Elmwood wanted to use the cash as an additional subsidy to lower the price of three homes that still have not been sold -- from $210,000 to $169,000. Only homes at that lower price in that development have been sold.

Town Councilor Ann Strong, a former member of the Planning Board, which opposed applying for that sum of money for West Elmwood, started the backlash against the subsidy.

“My concern is adding more tax dollars,” she said. “I think the Planning Board recognized this as well. The tax dollars already put into this project should have been enough.”

Town Councilor Bill DeWitt gave her strong support.

“At some point, you have to take on the risk,” he said of West Elmwood. “I’m not going to support this. It makes no sense to subsidize further.”

Barrington chose that type of development, said Town Council President June Speakman.

“We made a commitment with the developer,” she said. “It was built according to town requirements. “

“So you want to take a bad decision and make it worse?” DeWitt said. 

“I don’t thing that was a bad decision,” said Town Council Vice President Kate Weymouth. “But to continue to see for-sale signs does not reflect well on the town.” 

“We are a partner with West Elmwood in this,” said Speakman. “We have three houses that need to be sold. If we vote against this, we need an alternative.” 

“I think they need to try something else before putting their hand out again,” said Strong.

Steve Martin, chairman of the Barrington Housing Board of Trustees, supported the subsidy for West Elmwood. 

“The number one priority for these funds is affordable housing,” he said. “This is not a windfall for West Elmwood. It is an absolutely appropriate use for this money.” 

Town Councilor Cynthia Coyne halted the sometimes contentious discussion with a motion that cut the subsidy for West Elmwood out of the CDBG application.

Weymouth tried amending the motion with a recommendation “to split the difference.” It failed.

The CDBG application will go to the state now in this order:

• Barrington home repair program: $60,000
• Planning study to analyze existing housing stock: $15,000
• Cornerstone Adult Services: $5,000
• Community Housing Land Trust: $3,000
• Women’s Resource Center: $5,000