URI plans more student housing. Can this help with the housing crisis in South County?

As interest in attending the University of Rhode Island continues to grow, the state’s flagship university announced Wednesday that it plans to build more student housing.

URI plans to lease state-owned land on the Kingston campus to a private developer, who would then build and operate student housing on the land, the university said in a news release. URI said it hopes the deal with Gilbane Development Company will ultimately provide more than 1,100 additional student beds.

A report commissioned by the City of Narragansett and released earlier this year found that URI has not built enough housing for students, significantly altering the city’s housing market and contributing to a housing shortage for year-round residents. The university enrolled a total of 17,511 students in fall 2021, according to the most recent available enrollment data submitted to the state Board of Education.

Ellen Reynolds, URI vice president for student affairs, says many students prefer to live off campus and closer to the coast. But “if students have a desire to live on campus,” Reynolds said, “we want to meet that need for them.”

The university and Gilbane are still evaluating the feasibility of the project, Reynolds said, but the goal is to deliver some new housing in fall 2027 and the rest in fall 2028.

The Public’s Radio’s Luis Hernandez spoke with Reynolds about the university’s housing plans and what her neighbors can expect.

Interview highlights

About the “town dress” relationship between URI and South Kingstown and Narragansett

Ellen Reynolds, URI vice president for student affairs: I have to say we have a great relationship with both of them… My department meets regularly with the police chiefs to make sure we are informed about what is happening in the communities; that we work together to convey safety and good neighborly messages to students; Make sure students who have community issues share them with us so we can address them as part of our Community Standards process. Because we expect our students to not only adhere to the student handbook and be good citizens on campus but also in the community.

What community leaders say about the connection between URI and housing

Reynolds: I think they’ve indicated that there are concerns about housing affordability for individuals and families… and their concern is primarily about how much of the occupancy students are taking away from it… So I think there’s an ongoing dialogue about that on a regular basis what we have available on campus, how we can work to improve the campus, and then where we can work to ensure that the students who live in the community are good community members and contribute positively to the communities in which they live.

About how surrounding communities expect URI to help with the housing crisis

Reynolds: Well, I guess they’re expecting a partner, right? Someone willing to talk about it. Someone who is ready to develop our housing portfolio again where we can – where we can financially. And that is what we have always advocated for and continue to do.

Personally, I think it’s about having a dialogue about how we can do the best to ensure that all community members have housing – safe, affordable housing. (And) again, that those students who choose to live in the community because of rental housing available to them are good citizens and make a positive contribution to the community in which they live.

About the university’s impact on South County

I think I regularly hear from community members about how much our students contribute; how they are good neighbors; how helpful they are, they enjoy having them around. Occasionally I hear that they’re better than an AirBnB where it changes every week and we have the same students and they’re great… So I think the majority of our students there are good neighbors (and) the people in the die Community appreciates them being there.

Jeremy Bernfeld of The Public’s Radio contributed to this story.

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