A statement from the Rhode Island Republican Party released this week questioned House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi’s  motives in introducing legislation that they say overrides local zoning when it comes to converting commercial property to residential property.

“A little over a year ago, Shekarchi had haggled for months with the Warwick Zoning Board to give his client, an out-of-state developer, a significant reduction in the required number of parking units for a project where a hotel would be converted to an apartment complex (See Warwick Zoning Board Minutes 11/9/2021, and 4/12/2022). Eventually, Shekarchi was able to get the Warwick Zoning Board to agree to allow his client to have fewer parking spaces than what is required by Warwick’s zoning code,” reads the release.

It continues, “If Shekarchi’s legislation had been in effect in 2021, Shekarchi would never have needed to negotiate with Warwick’s Planning Department over the parking space requirement. Perhaps, Shekarchi has a client who wants to convert commercial property to an apartment complex, and does not want to follow Warwick’s zone code when it comes to parking, among other things.”

In response, Larry Berman, spokesman for the speaker, released the following statement from Shekarchi: ““This bill is supported by the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, among many others.  It does not impact any of my current or past clients and is not effective until next year.  We have a severe housing crisis in Rhode Island and this is one of many bills that will make a difference.  I am not going to let a Republican national committeeman deter me from creating more housing opportunities in Rhode Island.”

The Republican National Committeeman is Steve Frias who is also a Cranston Planning Commissioner. He has questioned how Shekarchi’s housing bills would erode municipal authority.

The legislation cited in the release was approved by the House by a vote of 70-2 Tuesday. Seven Republicans voted in favor of the bill, including Minority Leader Chippendale.