Federal Hill Capital, LLC v. City of Providence, by and through its Treasurer, James Lombardi

Syllabus

The plaintiffs, Federal Hill Capital, LLC, an investment real estate company, and four college students who were, at the time suit was filed, renting a home from Federal Hill Capital in the Elmhurst neighborhood of the City of Providence, brought an action seeking a declaration that a recently-enacted zoning ordinance restricting the number of unrelated college students who may live together in non-owner-occupied homes in certain areas of Providence was unconstitutional. The Superior Court determined that the least searching constitutional standard was the appropriate level under which to examine the statute and concluded that the zoning ordinance was constitutional under that standard. Thus, the Superior Court concluded that the zoning ordinance did not offend the Equal Protection or Due Process Clauses of the Rhode Island Constitution. The Supreme Court agreed and therefore affirmed the judgment of the Superior Court.