The Providence City Plan Commission approved a dimensional adjustment and two design waivers requested by the developers of the 269 Wickenden St. mixed-use project at a meeting Tuesday. The fourth request, which was not approved, was for a dimensional adjustment of 10 feet from the rear yard setback requirement.
The three approvals include a dimensional adjustment for a five-story and approximately 66-foot-5-inch height, a design waiver for the height of windowsills and a design waiver for residential use on a main street. The location of the proposed building is in a C-2 district, for which a maximum of four stories and 50-foot height are permitted by the Zoning Ordinance. A staff report filed before the meeting recommended that all four requests be approved.
The proposed development has previously prompted controversy, with Fox Point residents and other community members pushing back against the size, massing and design of the building.
At a meeting in August, the commission approved the project’s master plan and design waiver for windowsill height but declined to act on the dimensional adjustment for the proposed height. At the Tuesday meeting, representatives for the project’s developer — Fox Point Capital, LLC — presented design changes and requested an additional design waiver for the location of residential property within 20 feet of a main street.
Following feedback from previous meetings, the developer eliminated the large commercial bay in the design and replaced it with spaces similar to those used by local and small businesses, said Dylan Conley, an attorney representing Fox Point Capital at the meeting.
The new design has more residential units, which increases affordability, he added.
“We heard the public loud and clear on the desire to address the housing crisis — we’ve traded effectively what was really premium commercial square footage and fifth-story residential footage for what is … standard market square footage.”
The building design was also adjusted to be “comparable to what’s traditionally seen on upper Wickenden,” Conley added. This changes the building from a “rectangular monolith” to “look like three separate buildings with attics.”
Architect Kevin Diamond expanded upon specifics of the new design, including pulling the top story of the building back 12 feet so that it is no longer visible from the intersection of Wickenden and Brook streets.
Numerous community members spoke during the public comment session following the design presentation and questions from commission members.
Local residents expressed support and concern for the project, raising concerns regarding parking, the proposed building’s size and its affordability.
Eileen Afonso, who lives one block away from the site of the proposed development, said that “there’s hardly any parking at all,” and that an additional development would worsen the issue and traffic in the area. “This causes a major concern in my neighborhood.”
Daniel Morris, who rents an apartment in Elmhurst, added that “the city is in the midst of a housing crisis … I sacrifice over half of my income to rent.” Morris added that having bicycle parking in the new development “is a great way to alleviate car travel.”
Adding 75 residential units with the new development increases the housing stock, Morris added. Having apartments “within a walkable, bikeable, busable distance to work,” may help with recruitment, and “those who work in our thriving small business community” may also benefit.
Roz Rustigian, who has lived on Benefit Street for 22 years, views “this project as the first stone in the pond that’s going to kill the creativity, valor (and) spunk of the people who have populated Wickenden Street and their commercial endeavors.”
“I don’t want to live in 'Everytown, U.S.A.,'” Rustigian added.
Vincent Buonanno ’66, a lifelong Providence resident who served as chairman of the Brown Trustee’s Facilities and Design Committee for over 10 years, added that the preservation of the human aspects of a place has to do with the general populace, not just rich or famous people.
Harry Adler, co-owner of Adler's Design Center & Hardware — which has been in business for 104 years — said that “this project is a Trojan horse for Wickenden Street” and that its approval would transform Wickenden “into Thayer Street, which is not a positive development for the city.”
Leslie Myers, longtime representative of the Fox Point Neighborhood Association in I-195 District developments, and Fox Point resident Aisha McAdams both expressed concerns about the affordability of the proposed residential units.
“I am extraordinarily saddened that there’s this misunderstanding … that 269 Wickenden is going to be affordable. It’s market-rate.” Myers said. “The people who want to work in this neighborhood are not going to be able to live there.”
Though the rear-yard setback request was not approved, the remaining master plan was approved, allowing the developers to proceed to the preliminary planning stage on the conditions that the next plan addresses the transformer location, includes complete floor plans and a planting plan for the building rear and maintains the loading area as proposed.
Additional reporting by Will Kubzansky
Rhea Rasquinha is a Metro Section Editor covering Development and Infrastructure and also serves as Co-Chief of Illustrations. She previously covered the College Hill, Fox Point & the Jewelry District and Brown & Beyond beats. Rhea is a junior from New York studying Biomedical Engineering and loves dark chocolate and penguins.
