NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (WPRI) — The ACLU of Rhode Island is calling on Narragansett to get rid of local ordinances that limit how many unrelated people can live in the same home, arguing the local rules contradict a newly-enacted state law.

The R.I. General Assembly this year passed a swath of housing legislation aimed at addressing what state leaders are calling a housing crisis. The legislative package included a new law that allows more unrelated people to live together, expanding the number from three to five.

The new law, which went into effect in June, has been touted by some Narragansett landlords, including George Nonis, who have advocated for expanded limits in his town.

Narragansett is a popular place for unrelated people to live together because of more than 14,000 undergraduates who attend the University of Rhode Island.

"The housing crisis in Rhode Island is pretty severe," he said. "This would open up bedrooms."

Nonis, who's been a landlord for 20 years and currently serves as president of a group called Narragansett 2,100, owns a four-bedroom apartment that he rents out to college students. He said for years the apartment has been underutilized because of the previous limits.

Under the new law, Nonis said he'll now be able to offer that fourth bedroom to another student. But ACLU of Rhode Island executive director Steven Brown has expressed concern that the the town still hasn't repealed its local ordinances that conflict with the state law.

"I think it's fair to say that no other community has been at the forefront of trying to restrict individuals from living in unrelated households more than in Narragansett," he said.

In a letter sent last week to the Narragansett Town Council, Brown pointed to two ordinances adopted last year that set a three-person limit for unrelated people, asking the town council to repeal them.

Town Council President Ewa Dzwierzynski has pushed back at the ACLU, raising issue with the fact that the advocacy group hasn't made similar requests to other towns. She said her town is being singled out.

"From what I have learned... our town is the only municipality this letter was sent to which makes it evident that this legislation was aimed at our town specifically," Dzwierzynski wrote in an email to Target 12.

Brown said his advocacy group plans to reach out to other communities who have ordinances that are in conflict with the state law, but he said they started with the town of Narragansett because of complaints they have already received from people in the town.

"As a result of the conflict that now exists between the town ordinances and the state law, we just felt it important that the town recognize the need to revise those ordinances," Brown said.