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7/1/2026
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Woonsocket hosts signing of new law banning deed restrictions stifling grocery stores
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 STATE HOUSE – Woonsocket Senators Melissa Murray and Brian J. Thompson and Rep. Stephen M. Casey joined Gov. Daniel J. McKee in Woonsocket today for a ceremonial signing of their bill to ban deed restrictions prohibiting grocery stores.
The bill (2026-S 2644, 2026-H 8106) bans a practice that large retailers employ to stifle competitors, sometimes resulting in the creation of food deserts where fresh food is not easily accessible.
Joining the sponsors and the governor for the signing were Rep. Robert D. Phillips (D-Dist. 51, Woonsocket, Cumberland), Woonsocket Mayor Chris Beauchamp and Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, who pushed for the bill as part of her Fair Price Grocery Agenda. The event also included Erin Spaulding, executive director of Connecting for Children and Families, and Alberto Duran, owner of Save-a-Lot Supermarket.
Frequently when a grocery chain closes a location and sells the property, the deed includes a covenant restricting the property’s use as a location for another grocery store, often for 30 years or longer, to prevent a competitor from opening a store there. In some cases, the owners or affiliates of supermarket chains have even purchased properties and added restrictive covenants without ever building a market at the location.
“When a big supermarket closes and prevents any other fresh food retailer from opening on the property, it can leave the neighborhood without a grocery market for miles, deliberately creating a ‘food desert.’ For the many people struggling to get by, especially those without adequate transportation, that means more of their food is coming from convenience stores and fast-food restaurants. It’s going to be less healthy and more expensive. Grocery stores are a vital public health need. Our state should not allow anyone to impose such a restriction on any property,” said Senator Murray (D-Dist. 24, Woonsocket, North Smithfield, who serves as chairwoman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
The bill signing was held at the Woonsocket Education Center because Woonsocket has been significantly affected by the practice. The city used to have several grocery stores but now has only one, located on its border with Massachusetts, away from most residential neighborhoods. City officials have been working for years to address the situation, but have been hampered by restrictive covenants that have been placed on several of the appropriate available lots.
“Major grocery store chains use these restrictive covenants when they relocate to prevent competition springing up in their old location or neighborhood. This has happened twice in Woonsocket, leaving us with a single grocery store for the entire city,” said Representative Casey (D-Dist. 50, Woonsocket), who is chairman of the House Municipal Government and Housing Committee. “While this practice might be good for the bottom line of these multimillion-dollar companies, it leaves many residents — especially those with limited mobility or access to reliable transportation — without convenient access to the essential neighborhood resource that is a grocery store. Ending this practice will be a great benefit to Woonsocket and all the communities across Rhode Island that are suffering from the same situation.”
Said Senator Thompson (D-Dist. 20, Woonsocket, Cumberland), “Restrictive covenants are a corporate ‘scorched earth’ policy that harms communities. It’s a problem that very disproportionately affects people at the bottom of the income scale, who already face food insecurity and don’t have the resources to go somewhere else for healthy, affordable food. Grocery stores are a desperately needed resource in so many neighborhoods today, so we must not allow anyone to prohibit future development of grocery store on land they no longer own.”
"For too long, restrictive covenants have blocked grocery stores from opening in communities that need them. This law changes that, helping prevent food deserts, strengthen local businesses, and expand access to fresh, healthy food,” said Governor McKee. “I was proud to sign this bill into law, and I want to thank Lt. Governor Matos, Senator Murray, and Representative Casey for their leadership.”
IN PHOTO: Rep. Robert D. Phillips, Sen. Brian J. Thompson and Sen. Melissa Murray with the signed bill.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
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