The Atlantic Mills Tenant Union (AMTU) has continued to demand collective bargaining with the prospective buyers of the complex and is demanding that the Olneyville Neighborhood Association (ONA), a tenant in the Mills, retain access to their classroom space in the Mills as they are faced with an eviction notice from current management. The group was set to host a rally on Saturday, May 10, though it was postponed due to weather conditions.
Atlantic Mills, which has been pending sale since last fall, is a hub for small businesses, artists, and vendors with booths at the weekend Big Top Flea Market. AMTU was formed this past December through a majority vote of the lessees. The prospective owners, Eric Edelman and Bob Berle, have met with union representatives twice, once in-person on Feb. 5 and once on Zoom on Feb. 26. Since then, evictions for some tenants (including their sublessees) who were behind on rent have been executed by current ownership.
At the meetings in February, Edelman and Berle expressed their plans to fix the historic building and work with tenants in good standing.
“ATMU asked for a 99-year lease, rent stabilization, and an eviction moratorium along with collective bargaining during the meetings,” Edelman wrote to PPS on May 5. “We explained during the meetings our plans to improve the building after the sale was complete. We also outlined our plan to offer new leases to all tenants in good standing after closing.”
Emily Harrington, an organizer for AMTU who attended both meetings, said she understands that things in the Mills are going to change. The question is how to create a sustainable rental environment that doesn’t displace the current tenants.
“We feel threatened by the history of development in this neighborhood and city that tends to come at the expense of low-income and immigrant communities,” Harrington said she and other union reps explained at the meeting. “And the artists and small businesses who are here in this Mill largely depend on the below-market rates that we’ve afforded for so long… a jump up to market would drastically change the face of this building. That’s why we unionized.”
AMTU organizers say that despite the two meetings with Edelman, Berle, and the current building manager, the future owners have not agreed to collectively bargain with the union. When asked by PPS whether this was accurate, Edelman did not answer directly.
The building is still owned by Eleanor Brynes and is currently managed by Acropolis Management Services LLC, whose services Edelman and Berle plan on retaining once the sale goes through.
The latest flashpoint for Atlantic Mills has surrounded ONA’s access to one of the two spaces that the organization rents in the Mills — this issue was going to be the focus of the union’s rally that was cancelled.
What’s Going on with ONA’s Studio Space?
ONA currently rents space in units 611 (a typical Atlantic Mills studio) and 614, which is part of the building’s management offices and includes a larger space that ONA has used as a classroom. The focus of the non-profit’s tension with current building ownership is about their leasing of classroom space in 614.
On April 14, Atlantic Mills ownership sent ONA a notice of termination of tenancy, saying that the organization had to vacate suite 614 by May 1. A revised notice, sent April 18, extended the time that ONA had to move out to May 16.
Rental payment records reviewed by PPS and their lease agreement show that ONA began renting the classroom spaces in September 2023. ONA currently has one written lease with Howard and Eleanor Brynes LLC, which is for unit 611.
Though ONA has been paying rent for the space throughout the time they have been using it, they have not had a written lease for 614. They had an informal, handshake agreement under the previous property management. Acropolis became the new property manager after the building was pending sale.
“ONA has been given a termination of tenancy notice” for 614, ONA’s Executive Director, Eloi Rodas, told PPS. “This is not an eviction notice, this is not a court-mandated eviction.”
The conflict began after a dispute about removing items and furniture in 614. ONA shared that these items were unhygienic and covered in rat excrement, and that they had submitted requests to management to clean the space.
“We sent several notices asking if they could move it, if something could be done, that it was covered in rat poop,” Rodas said. “No answers, no desire to do anything, until we did a deep cleaning.”
The removal of these items, which apparently belonged to the building’s ownership, sparked conflict with the owner, who Rodas said had a sentimental attachment to the space and the objects. Rodas shared that they had been locked out of this classroom space several times without notice and were told they had to vacate the suite despite paying rent on a month-to-month basis.
“It seems like a very retaliatory, racist eviction against an organization that serves primarily immigrants, Spanish speakers, low-income families of Olneyville and surrounding neighborhoods, because we’re not given a cause,” Rodas said.
“Even if it’s not completely intentional or at the surface, the harassment of ONA is racist,” Harrington said. “The white artists and business owners in this space are not being harassed like ONA is.”
Brynes did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
“The Olneyville Neighborhood Association was occupying the current ownership’s management office for which they did not have a lease,” Edelman wrote to PPS. “As we’re not involved, we cannot comment on the dispute between ONA and current ownership regarding that space. I do know current ownership offered ONA the option to lease a similarly sized alternative classroom space, which they declined.”
Ownership had offered ONA to rent a different suite — number 612 — instead of the classroom in 614. ONA declined, saying they wanted to rent all three spaces under a unified lease. On Instagram, the group has said that they require multiple spaces to carry out their mission.
“612 is a space we were offered instead of 614, but our understanding is that it’s not on the table,” Rodas wrote to PPS. They considered the lease for 612 to be “rather predatory and unsafe, and our lawyer confirmed most of the clauses were vague and difficult to understand, leaving us exposed to some risks related to insurance and damage. We sent a counteroffer.”
Rodas shared that ONA’s lease for 611 is set to expire next year, and that now management has said they do not plan on renewing the organization’s lease. “They are not going to rent us anything at all, and they’re not going to renew our lease for the current space because of the signs that we put in 614,” Rodas said.
The signs in question alleged that the current owner of the Mills “evicts grassroots [organizations] and people of color,” while future owners Edelman and Berle “stay silent.” While Brynes has not commented on ONA’s accusations, Edelman and Berle have pushed back. The photo was posted to Instagram after ONA received the termination of tenancy notice for unit 614.
“To accuse us, the incoming buyers, of racism and intimidation before we even own the building is blatantly false and an obvious attempt to discourage the sale of Atlantic Mills,” Edelman said in March regarding another flyer circulated by AMTU which alleged himself, Berle, and the current owner and management of discrimination. “Once we own the building, we look forward to working with all tenants in good standing, regardless of race, creed, or identity.”
Edelman has also challenged Rodas’s claims that he and Berle are not planning to renew ONA’s lease next year.
“No decision has been made by incoming ownership about the renewal of ONA’s lease for 611,” Edelman wrote to PPS. “Once we own the building, we will evaluate the situation and make a decision prior to lease expiration.”
Rodas wondered if an example was being made of his organization. “They’re testing out if they can evict an established organization that has recognition from the community,” he said. “We know that some people have been evicted from the building already. The people who have been evicted were either not in the union or were behind on rent, or both. So this is the first time they’re coming for someone who is both in the union and in good standing.” Brynes did not respond to a request for comment.
Federal Money That Was Tied to Atlantic Mills May Be Released
The sale of the building has been pending for about eight months now, but plans to sell and redevelop Atlantic Mills have been in the works for years. Previously, building ownership was working with the Providence Redevelopment Agency (PRA) to restore the building, which had an estimated cost of $10 million.
The PRA was awarded $2 million in federal funding for the preservation and restoration of the Mills. But after the deal with the PRA fell through in August 2024, the future use of that funding is unclear.
In a statement on April 8, Director of Communications for Economic Development Michaela Antunes wrote that “the Providence Redevelopment Agency, in coordination with partners at HUD and other stakeholders, is working to deploy funding in support of community benefits. These may include enhanced connectivity, climate-resilience initiatives, and environmental improvements.”
The PRA is working through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process, Antunes wrote on May 7. The notice of the intention to release funds had a public comment period, which concluded May 12, according to Antunes. After the comment period passes, the PRA can pass along the final submission to HUD. “After HUD’s review and the completion of all public notice requirements, the PRA will be eligible to receive the Authority to Use Grant Funds (AUGF) and proceed with the project using federal funds.”
The specifics of how those funds will be used, if the PRA can receive approval, have yet to be shared.
By Katy Pickens & Keating Zelenke