The Town Council held a workshop on Wednesday, May 4 on the subject of housing. The need for more affordable and attainable housing has been an issue for decades, and while the town and the not-for-profit Block Island Economic Development Foundation have made strides over the years, the most recent spike in high-priced real estate sales hasmade home attainment even more distant for year-round working residents.To further gauge the needs for housing, the town has been conducting a needs survey over the past couple of weeks. As of the time of the meeting, 28 responses had beenreceived, and Town Planner Alison Ring presented the results so far. (It has been decided to keep the survey up on the town website for a few more weeks to get more feedback.)Ring said that the 28 respondents were fairly evenly split between those who wished to rent, and those who wished to own a home. Eight had children under 18 years old, with a total of 11 children. Seven households would like housing with at least three bedrooms, and one stated they were in need of handicapped accessible housing.Twelve respondents said their housing is currently not year-round, with 11 saying they
