The findings of a recent study showing fewer new homes were built in Rhode Island last year than any other state is consistent with what happened in Warwick.

However, looking ahead and taking into consideration new and planned construction, Warwick is on a path of adding more than 1,000 new housing units.

The data by portlandrealestate.com analyzed U.S. Census data and Statista to determine which states had the most and least new construction homes being developed per 1,000 residents. Rhode Island had the fewest new builds per 1,000 residents at only 1.27 new builds.

The findings track what Warwick experienced for the 2022 calendar year. The city Building Department reported 62 new single-family housing permits and five duplex unit permits were issued for the year. Even combining the duplex units to the overall total, less than one unit per 1,000 residents was built in the city in 2022.

For the 2021 calendar year, the Building Department issued 40 single family home permits, 13 duplex permits and three condominiums.

The portlandrealestate.com study makes no mention of duplexes, condos or apartment units.

In the wake of Rhode Island with the least number of new single family homes is Connecticut followed by Illinois and New York. Utah with 11.7 new builds per 1,000 residents ranked first in new builds in the nation. Utah is followed by Idaho and Florida.

While the Warwick data suggests a less than robust new housing market, that would be far from the case based on single family, condo and apartment complexes on the drawing boards or granted Planning Board approvals.

Last year, the Building Department permitted the conversion of the former Sheraton Hotel into 238 units of “workforce housing.” In addition to the 19 single family condos on Graystone Street in the Gateway Zone to City Centre, Great Point Group is planning 56 condo townhouses on Kilvert Street.

There are far more housing units and single family homes in the pipeline. Both Wickes and Randall Holden Schools are sites for single-family homes. The Wickes site calls for the construction of 39 houses. A development plan for the former Randall Holden  property hasn’t been finalized. 

Also on the drawing board or in stages of planning approvals are two apartment complexes advanced by developer Michael Integlia and partners: One Metro Center with 260 units of “workforce housing” and a higher end complex  - Skye City Centre -on the site of the former Elizabeth Mill on Jefferson Boulevard with 248 units. As the Jefferson Boulevard development is within the City Centre intermodal zone it is eligible for a Tax Stabilization Agreement (TSA) that uses the pre-construction property assessment for tax purposes, implementing the new valuation over 10 years.

In a recent Beacon story Integlia  said he and his partner Sal Leccese said the  four story apartment complex with retail and restaurant space on the first floor would have an attached 411-car garage. This development as compared to One Metro Center is designed to serve a higher income clientele. He said Skye City Centre would have a number of amenities commanding higher rental rates than Metro One a short distance away. He described One Metro Center as “workforce housing.”