R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-33.2-2: Legislative findings.

It is found and declared that for the public health, safety, morals, and welfare of the people of the state generally, the increase of their commerce, welfare, and prosperity and the improvement of their housing, employment and educational opportunities and general living conditions, as well as in order to remedy the conditions found to exist in the state as declared in § 45-31-3, it is essential to provide new employment opportunities to prevent, arrest, and alleviate blighted, decayed, and substandard areas in cities and towns, to increase the supply of housing available to homeowners and to tenants at low rentals, to increase the tax base, to encourage the development of undeveloped land in the town of West Greenwich, and to improve the general economy of the state; and that it is the purpose of this chapter to provide an additional and alternative means to cities and towns to fund and/or finance municipal and other public facilities and residential, commercial and industrial development and revitalization, home ownership; and programs to combat poverty, improve municipal and neighborhood living conditions and provide improved employment and educational opportunities, all to the public benefit and good, in the manner provided in this chapter.