Community activists arrived Wednesday at a public hearing held by the City Plan Commission spoiling for a fight over proposed zoning changes but were taken aback after the CPC dropped the controversial issues from the agenda.
The public meeting, held at the commission's office at 400 Westminster St., was intended to gather public input on broad changes to the zoning code in the city's comprehensive plan, which under state law provides a binding framework for all development in Providence.
The changes included allowing higher density develop-ment in some neighborhoods and re-zoning the Providence waterfront - running from the hurricane barrier at Fox Point south to the Cranston border - to allow residential and commercial activity in areas currently zoned only for industrial use. The waterfront land would be used for residential units, hotels and retail stores, according to the proposed zoning ordinance.
But Stephen Durkee, chair of the commission, announced at the start of the meeting that those proposals had been dropped from the agenda.
Instead, the commission solicited input on changing the zoning from manufacturing to mixed use in one section of the waterfront that runs from the hurricane barrier down to Thurbers Avenue. The proposal was intended to allow a group of artists to refurbish and work in an abandoned building on the waterfront. Bryan Principe, the City Council president's designee on the seven-member commission, called the change a "slight" one.
"It became very clear yesterday that there are a lot of concerns with changes to the comprehensive plan," Durkee said. "Today there was a meet-ing at City Hall and everything else was tabled."
The 40 or so Providence residents in attendance responded negatively to the revised agenda.
"Shouldn't there be an apology for the short notice?" demanded Peter McClure, a professor at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. "The community de-serves an apology," he added to applause.
"If anyone was inconven-ienced, we apologize," Durkee responded.
When another resident asked the crowd not to "put (the commission members) on the spot," McClure quickly replied, "they put us on the spot."
Residents at the meeting expressed concern that re-zoning of the waterfront and other parts of the city might occur without input from citizens. They also zeroed in on the re-zoning of the smaller area of the waterfront still on the agenda.
Andrew Tights, who said he was a lawyer for industrial firms on the waterfront, expressed concern that the re-zoning would allow casinos, large retail stores such as Wal-Mart and large hotels in the area.
"I am very concerned because I think we've perhaps been misled," he said. "This goes far beyond (the artists)."
Thomas Deller, director of the city's Department of Planning and Development, responded that mixed use of the area by residential and commercial users "is the intent" of the changes and, "while it is possible" large retailers such as Wal-Mart could move in, "it is unlikely" given the specific characteristics of the area.
The commission then de-cided to save discussion of re-zoning the section of the waterfront for another public meeting, allowing members to move on to other agenda items. That new meeting was scheduled for Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. in the council chambers.
This meeting will take place one week before the Feb. 28 meeting of the City Council, at which the council will take up the issue.
Other concerns were raised by those in attendance, including several complaints about the dearth of general public meetings on changes to the comprehensive plan.
"We're doing this dance" over small elements of the zoning issue, said Richard Fleischer, a resident in attendance, and "it's counterproductive for everyone."
"We're scrambling to keep up with the pieces and pieces and pieces and pieces and pieces," said Janet Keller, pres-ident of the West Broadway Neighborhood Association, to applause from the crowd.
In the commission's working meeting, held before the public hearing, its members agreed that more public meetings are necessary in order to listen to and educate Providence residents.
The comprehensive plan "is not an accessible document," said Andrew Cortés, the mayor's designee on the commission, and "before going out and hearing important and random comments" there is a need to educating people about the changes.
Most residents left the meeting dissatisfied after the waterfront proposals were tabled around 1:30 p.m.
"It was pretty typical that ... their process was totally screwed up," said Greg Gerritt, a member of the Summit Neighborhood Association and secretary of the Rhode Island Green Party, who had complained in the meeting that the comprehensive plan fails to take into account recent findings about global warming.
"They try to shut the public out, and the pubic breaks down the door ... and then they go and hide in another room," Gerritt added.
But the CPC seemed to take the hostility in stride.
"It was a meeting. It's like this all the time," Deller said.
"It was exciting," added Samuel Limiadi, one of the commission members.
