During fiscal year 2026, the City of Providence completed 988 housing units and permitted 726 new residential units, according to the City’s 2026 Housing Progress Report released August ahead of the mayoral primaries. Of the new units, around 40% were designated to be affordable.
“By removing barriers to development, investing directly in affordable housing and putting underused public properties back to work, we are creating more housing choices for Providence neighbors,” Providence Mayor Brett Smiley said in a press release.
“Statewide, there is still work to do to ensure that more Rhode Islanders — particularly those with the greatest affordability challenges — can access and remain in housing they can afford,” Deborah Goddard, R.I. secretary of housing, wrote in an email to The Herald. “But Providence is leading by example, and we are proud of the progress made.”…