Advocacy Alert: Planned demolition of Angell Street houses

Published in Advocacy Alerts.

Image courtesy of the Providence Journal

Three houses on Angell Street are once again in danger of demolition.

209, 211, and 217 Angell Street have drawn much concern and controversy on the East Side over the years as developer Ed Bishop proposed the location for the Smart Hotel. This proposal would have resulted in a six-story boutique hotel with no parking in an area zoned for residential and professional purposes only. Rejected twice by the City and by the public, the matter was continued indefinitely and cannot be pursued again in this location.

Now, the three houses are once again slated for demolition, and this time no one knows who is seeking this demolition or what is planned for the site. The first demo notice was posted last week without sufficient notice, and neighbors, along with City Councilman John Goncalves, flagged this technicality and bought a little time with a stop-work order. However, there is no legal recourse to prevent this demolition as it is not in a local historic district, and the demolition could occur as early as next week.

PPS opposes any demolition at this site and believes that the demolition of multiple housing units for an empty lot during a housing crisis is unacceptable. Say no to demo on Angell Street, and let’s make our voices heard.

CALL TO ACTION: Help PPS spread the word! Share this message with your social networks using the hashtag #saynotodemo and this link: ppsri.org/advocacy-alert-planned-demolition-of-angell-street-houses/

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