Several councilors said though the Comp Plan is “not perfect,” it’s a good starting point

The Proposed Comprehensive City Plan, the roadmap for Providence’s next decade, passed the City Council at its meeting on Nov. 7. The Plan will officially be ratified once it passes another City Council vote in the next few weeks — and then the long process of modifying the City’s zoning ordinance can begin.

Several Council members acknowledged the imperfections of the plan, and the existing wedge on the issues of the elimination of parking minimums and the policies on gas stations remained apparent as each Councilor opined on the Comp Plan. There was also discussion of the rollback of some of the aggressive language limiting future uses of the Providence Port.

The Plan passed with 13 in favor, two opposed — Ward 8 Councilor James Taylor and Ward 12 Councilor Althea Graves — and two absent. Ward 4 Councilor Justin Roias did not attend the meeting, while Ward 1 Councilor John Goncalves was present at the beginning of the session but left prior to the Comp Plan vote.

The Ordinance Committee held five public hearings on the Comp Plan prior to sending it to the full Council, and the Planning Department held over 80 community input sessions over the last two years to formulate the plan.

Many of the Council members thanked the Ordinance Committee and Planning Department for their hard work on the plan and the extensive outreach process. But still, some detailed their sticking points with the Plan.

What’s happening with the gas station ban?

A few weeks back, Councilor Goncalves’ proposed ban against the construction of new gas stations in Providence grabbed headlines. But now in the finalized Comp Plan, the language on gas stations is less absolute.

New stations can still be constructed with a special-use permit in areas deemed unfit for residential use, Ward 10 Councilor and Ordinance Committee Chair Pedro Espinal explained.

The Comp Plan now prohibits “the development of new gas stations within City limits, except by special use permit if the targeted land is unsuitable for residential development” on Page 40.

Espinal added that he knew of about one new gas station in the last seven years, and said the city currently has about 40 gas stations that will be able to remain and serve residents.

Councilor Taylor criticized the gas station ban even with the softened restrictions, explaining that he was concerned about gas access within City limits for residents, citing the high cost of electric cars and the low likelihood that most people would no longer use gas cars within the next 10 years. 

The Providence Port

Espinal, who oversees the Ward with much of the Providence Port, admitted that while some of the language was rolled back, the Comp Plan was a starting point that could be built upon through the ProvPort Master Planning process.

The first pass of Council amendments to the Comp Plan included banning dozens of new uses at the Port area, such as toxic waste storage; electricity generation from fossil fuel combustion; cement, concrete, or asphalt storage; and more. Much of it was tapered down, but below are the following new uses in general industrial zones that will be barred:

• Facilities that import, store, process, or distribute fossil fuels
• Facilities that import, store, manufacture, or distribute flammable, hazardous, or explosive chemicals or waste products
• Facilities that generate or result in harmful air pollution emissions
• Facilities that produce high carbon emissions or import and distribute high carbon content products
• Facilities that generate water pollution, including both point source and stormwater runoff pollution

“The Comp Plan could have been more specific, banning certain things over there, but it opens up the door for us to continue to do the work,” he said, saying that the industries at the port have been there for a long time and that change will not happen overnight.

Parking, parking, parking

The Comp Plan calls for the City to “eliminate parking minimums for new development and consider the establishment of maximum parking levels.” No existing parking necessarily will be purged, and the adjustment also would not prohibit new developments from having parking. But many Councilors took issue with the proposal.

Ward 15 Councilor Oscar Vargas said that his constituents were worried about the elimination of parking minimums and the ease of municipal services like trash collection or snow plowing if each street is lined with cars.

Ward 7 Councilor Ana Vargas also was highly concerned about the elimination of parking minimums. Councilor Graves also was worried about the move, saying her constituents were worried about both parking and the gas stations.

What’s next?

The Planning Department has already begun creating the map and text changes to the City’s Zoning Ordinance that will be rolled out in the coming weeks and months after the Comp Plan is verified by a second City Council vote.

Ordinance modifications is where the nitty gritty policy will be worked out. Ward 2 Councilor Helen Anthony noted that the Comp Plan is more of a guiding document than actual zoning language. “The language is kind of vague, and the language has a certain direction we think we’re moving in, but it gives us a lot of leeway to argue both sides of every issue,” she said.

Ward 11 Councilor Mary Kay Harris emphasized that the Comp Plan is the culmination of a lot of hard work — and that though it’s not perfect, it can be amended down the line. She praised the community outreach efforts as well, saying, “We know it wasn’t perfect, but we did listen.”

But Councilor Graves was skeptical that amendments would really happen down the road. “I don’t trust that we are going to make those amendments,” she said. “If we’re not trying to do it while we’re printing this stuff up, I don’t know if it’s going to get done,” she said.

Ward Councilor Peterson urged the council to center the working class and poor in this city, particularly in light of the recent election. She explained that it was clear that lower-income constituents felt ignored and left behind. “It’s time to finalize these plans, to create these platforms and the priorities in education and affordable housing and fair wages and accessibility to these real, visionary goals that we’re putting on paper.”

By Katy Pickens / Planning & Preservation Writer / kpickens@ppsri.org