At the City Planning Commission’s Nov. 19 meeting, a preliminary plan by Citadel Properties LLC and Strive Properties for a mixed-use development at 663 Admiral Street in Ward 14 was brought for reconsideration. Residents testified about their concerns with the development, including Ward 14 Councilor Shelley Peterson, and a representative of the developers discussed their planned uses and management plan for the mixed-use, five-story proposal.

Citadel and Strive came to the Commission asking for reduced parking (to provide 31 spaces rather than the required 48) and additional height (asking for a height of 63’3” while the C-1 zone’s height limit is 45’). The variances were granted on the condition that the building could not be used for short-term rentals.

Residents were concerned that the building would effectively serve as an off-campus dormitory for Providence College students, citing issues with Strive in particular at other developments in the area.

Dylan Conley spoke as the applicant’s attorney and representative, explaining that the project had previously been submitted to the Commission, but had to be reapproved since the application had lapsed. Conley cited issues with the “banking industry” and interest rates as the cause of the delay. While the tenant for the first-floor commercial space in the building had not yet been selected, Conley said it may become a leasing office for the developer.

While the development is not explicitly student housing, Commissioners and attendees observed that students would be likely residents in the apartment building.

Ward 14 Councilor Shelley Peterson shared public testimony regarding the project. “This project, originally…was met with some significant resistance, and I really do appreciate that the developer has come back and had a couple of iterations that have been a lot more successful with the community,” she said.

But she emphasized her constituents’ concerns about the spread of student housing. Peterson explained there are worries about “the potential of a housing project this large, and pushing, the pushing [of student housing]…. because it’s really starting to navigate into a completely different area of the neighborhood.”

Peterson said she is hosting a community meeting with the developer in December.

Andrew Point, a resident of the area, shared concerns about the proliferation of Strive student housing in the community.

“Come by our neighborhood and Strive very proudly put their name on all their houses,” said Point. “You can see just how much they have already bought up in our neighborhood, and…they’ve increased the rent for anyone who is looking to rent. [They] have made it significantly harder for anyone to buy a house. Regular people can’t compete with them to buy a house.”

Conley shared Strive’s Property and Resident Management Plan, which reads that “663 Admiral Street will be marketed as a safe, quiet, and comfortable place for mature people to live.” The plan lays out plans for quiet hours, resident selection, and staggering some rental schedules away from the traditional student rental schedule.

Regardless, the city cannot dictate the type of residents the building is allowed to rent to outside of single-family zoning, which prohibits more than three students from living in a dwelling unit. “Whether it’s student housing or not, it’s allowed to be student housing,” said Deputy Director of Planning and Development Bob Azar.

Point also mentioned that the EPA took action against Strive Construction, LLC and Citadel Properties, LLC — the developers for the project — for alleged inadequate inspection and notification when they demolished the building formerly at 663 Admiral Street. The companies settled, paying $24,800.

The lot of land is in an environmental justice area of the city. “Citadel Properties, LLC, and Strive Construction, LLC violated the CAA and the National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants for asbestos regulations (Asbestos NESHAP), by failing to notify EPA of its intention to demolish a commercial and residential building located at 663 Admiral Street in Providence, R.I., and by failing to inspect the portion of the building that was demolished for the presence of asbestos,” according to the EPA. 

“We all have an obligation of being a responsible neighbor and protecting our fellow humans. Due diligence was not completed in this situation, and proper notifications were not made, which has resulted in these penalties being handed down,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash in an EPA press release. “We are especially sensitive to the fact that this occurred in a population-dense area in Providence, in communities that have been overburdened by prior environmental injustices. This settlement reinforces the requirements companies have to comply with reporting requirements and uphold their commitments in the name of public and environmental safety.”

“It struck me when the representative for Strive tonight was talking about nuisances because really, they are the nuisance in this neighborhood,” said Elisa Graydon, a resident who testified during public comment on the proposal.

Michael Gazdacko, CPC Chair, shared that the Commission has limited purview when deciding on specific proposals.

“We’ve talked about when we see a developer or someone who’s active in development throughout the city come before us…there’s no law that allows us to take into consideration how they acted with x, y, and z,” he said. “We’re looking at this application kind of in a bubble.”

Graydon also was concerned about the units in the proposed building being used as Airbnbs or short-term rentals. “I don’t see how that contributes to the housing crisis in Providence,” she said. “We’re rewarding bad actors in the city.”

The commission barred short-term rentals as a use in the building when they granted the variances for the project.

Conley emphasized that the developer hopes the project will meet a need present in the neighborhood. “If you think about an apartment building of this scale, it’s almost like a sponge soaking up that demand in a focused area where it can be controlled. So our response to all of the concerns being raised is, we hear you. We are participants in the neighborhood as well,” Conley said. “There are problems for us as well. This is our solution to it.”

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