What are City Council’s Proposed Changes to the Comp Plan?

Published in Advocacy Alerts, Design & Development, Housing, Policy & Land Use, Sustainability.

A Breakdown of the Climate, Housing, Design Amendments Proposed by the Council

City Council released an amendment package for the City’s draft Comprehensive Plan on the afternoon of Oct. 9. The redlined version of the Comp Plan includes a variety of changes, some ranging from semantic tweaks to significant changes from the original draft of the Comp Plan.

The substantive amendments largely fall into three categories: climate, housing and inclusionary zoning, and design.

PPS wanted to break down some of these changes and highlight some significant amendments ahead of the next hearing on the Comp Plan on the evening of Oct. 16.


Climate, Environmental Justice, Transit

“The complexity of the climate crisis demands a multi-layered, creative, and robust series of proposals that will drive the city forward to meet its zero carbon emissions goals,” reads the Council’s press release. “Many of the amendments to the Comprehensive Plan put forth by the Council, in large part at the initiative of Deputy Majority Whip Sue AnderBois (Ward 3), are effectively dual purpose in nature – addressing a specific, targeted need while also helping reduce or address fossil fuel emissions.

ProvPort: Significant Amendments on Curbing Fossil Fuels, Industrial Uses

An amendment to Objective SRE2: Climate Protection, Air Quality, and Heat Mitigation shifts the language from planning for the “reduction” of fossil fuel imports and usage at ProvPort to the “elimination” of such activities.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 9

“For generations, the area in and around Providence’s port [has] been used as [a] de facto dumping ground by heavy industry, endangering the health, safety, and well-being of South Side residents,” reads the Council’s press release. “On top of negatively impacting some of the city’s most economically disadvantaged communities, this approach has also stymied efforts to reduce the city’s fossil fuel emissions.”Majority Leader and Ward 10 Councilor Pedro Espinal will introduce “new protections to prohibit any new heavy polluters from operating in and around in the Port/Maritime Industrial District.” The exhaustive list of the proposed uses to prohibit is on pages 72 and 73 of the Council’s redlined version of the Comp Plan. They include a prohibition of future industrial uses like toxic waste storage; electricity generation from fossil fuel combustion; cement, concrete, or asphalt storage; and more.

Read the Entire List

The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Pages 72-73

The city may will prohibit future industrial uses in the General Industrial District, M-2, that it determines goes against the public interest of (a) public health and quality of life in near-industry neighborhoods or (b) realizing fossil fuel emissions and reduction goals in response to climate change. These uses include:

Waterfront/Port: These areas are intended for waterfront port and maritime uses to promote the Port of Providence and related maritime industrial and commercial uses within the waterfront area. The purpose of this designation is to protect the waterfront as a resource for water-dependent industrial uses, and to facilitate the renewed use of a vital waterfront for economic growth and expansion. Clean, sustainable, and resilient economic development should be prioritized. The city may will prohibit future industrial uses in the Port/Maritime Industrial District, W-3, that it determines goes against the public interest of (a) public health and quality of life in near-industry neighborhoods or (b) realizing fossil fuel emissions reduction goals in response to climate change. These uses include:

An Amendment to Ban New Gas Stations

Ward 1 Councilor and Senior Deputy Majority Leader John Goncalves proposed an amendment to the Comp Plan that would “prohibit” rather than “discourage” the construction of new gas stations throughout Providence. This amendment was approved by the Ordinance Committee.

Discourage Prohibit the development of new gas stations within City limits., while prioritizing the development and installation of EV charging stations across Providence.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 39

“By becoming one of the first cities on the East Coast to potentially prohibit new gas stations, Providence can lead the way in reducing carbon emissions and promoting cleaner, greener energy alternatives,” Goncalves wrote following the hearing.

If the Comp Plan is adopted with this amendment in place, existing gas stations would be allowed to continue; only the creation of new ones would be barred.

The Boston Globe reports that Mayor Brett Smiley did not share a stance on the banning of gas stations. But Spokesperson John Astrella criticized the last-minute nature of the addition.

“Amendments passed at the eleventh hour disrespect the thoughtful and diligent process we went through to develop this plan with our community,” Estrella said, according to the Globe. “The Mayor will review and evaluate this amendment and every amendment introduced today with that same diligence.”

“The prohibition would be enacted through a subsequent Zoning Ordinance,” according to the Council’s press release.

Emphasizing Language on Parking Minimums

The Council’s press release touts one of the amendments to the package as “Stronger Language to Reduce or Eliminate Parking Minimums.” It is not clear if the amended language is necessarily stronger than what was already in the draft Comp Plan.

The original draft suggested the elimination of “parking minimums for new development” and consideration of “the establishment of maximum parking levels” as a potential strategy on page 39.

Read the added language below:

In All Growth Areas: Prioritize the elimination of parking minimums wherever feasible.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 70

Ensure that parking regulations strike a balance between the demand for parking and the ability to develop land to its fullest potential by reducing parking minimums.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 90

Prioritize the elimination of parking minimums wherever feasible.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 90

While the changes suggest the Council is amenable to lowering parking minimums, the proposed changes don’t seem to take that final leap toward eliminating parking minimums altogether.

Encouraging More Public Transit, Preserving Kennedy Plaza as Central Bus Hub

At that Oct. 2 hearing, the Ordinance Committee struck out language from the Comp Plan that would have encouraged moving the central bus hub away from Kennedy Plaza. Ward 4 Councilor Justin Roias proposed the change, which was passed with raucous applause from the hearing attendees.

The Council’s proposed amendments also included continued investment in public transit.

Work with RIPTA to build out appropriate locations for public transit infrastructure, including current work to expand and build out the R-Line.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 90


Housing, Inclusionary Zoning, Approaches to Homelessness

Approaches toward Encampments and Unhoused People

Under Objective H3: Special Needs Housing, Majority Whip and Ward 6 Councilor Miguel Sanchez is proposing the following additions:

Ensure that all city policies addressing homelessness and homelessness encampments follow the guidelines outlined by the US Interagency Council on Homelessness.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 32

Formally sanction temporary homelessness encampments in non-residential areas to improve safety and public health of unhoused residents.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 32

“Informed by public health best practices and successful strategies implemented across the country, this language empowers the City Council and administration to work collaboratively to address homelessness effectively and humanely,” according to the Council’s press release. “Councilor Sanchez will propose a framework to formally sanction temporary homeless encampments in non-residential areas to improve the safety and public health of unhoused residents.”

You can read the guidelines from the US Interagency Council on Homelessness here.

Language Around Housing and Inclusionary Zoning Changes

At a few places in the Plan (pages 28 and 30), the Council added language around implementing inclusionary zoning.

The Anti-Displacement and Comprehensive Housing Strategy details the vision and priorities of the City in addressing pressing housing needs in Providence. The City has incorporated many of the objectives and strategies of the Strategy into this comprehensive plan, including identification of new funding streams. In addition to these strategies informed by the Anti-Displacement and Comprehensive Housing Strategy study, the City will prioritize supplementary anti-displacement strategies such as inclusionary zoning, securing protections for those at risk of displacement, and proactively monitoring affordable units to ensure long-term residents of Providence are not displaced. The City is committed to balancing a steady growth of housing supply with measures to create, preserve, and protect affordability on the face of unprecedented rising costs.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 28

The draft already endorsed continued support of “programs that encourage developers to build housing that is affordable to all, including by evaluating the market feasibility of inclusionary zoning” on page 30.

And under Objective H2:  Produce New Housing for All, the Council added the following:

Implement an inclusionary zoning ordinance with appropriate financial subsidies, including but not limited to tax stabilization, that enhance development feasibility.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 30

But what is inclusionary zoning?

The Council’s press release describes it as “a strategy used by hundreds of cities across the country [that] increases availability of affordable housing, promotes mixed-income communities, and helps combat gentrification.”

Planetizen describes inclusionary zoning as an umbrella term, which generally is a mechanism for encouraging affordability, including creating income limits for tenants in certain areas, incentives for developers (like density bonuses or expedited permitting), or required percentages of affordable housing (typically 10-30%).

The amendments also included language around preventing displacement of long-time Providence residents.

Work with Community Development Corporations (CDCs) to conduct an analysis of displacement risk across the city ot understand which neighborhoods are most vulnerable and ensure they are prioritized for affordable housing development.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Pages 30-31

Advocate for stronger tenant protections for renters who are defined as being the most vulnerable to displacement.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 31

Work with RIPTA to ensure housing affordability is linked to the development of new and existing transit corridors.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 31


Design Standards and Neighborhood Review

Ward 2 Councilor Helen Anthony proposed an amendment to the Comp Plan which would encourage “new housing to reflect the character and aesthetic of every Providence neighborhood,” according to the Council’s press release. The Land Use chapter of the Comp Plan includes “a plan for developing, reviewing and enforcing design standards that would ensure new developments enhance rather than disrupt the communities they enter.”

Read the additions below:

Strengthen design regulations in residential and neighborhood commercial areas to promote a high-quality built environment, while ensuring new design regulations do not unnecessarily increase the cost of development or make the development review process less efficient or unpredictable.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 89

Establish an ad hoc committee to advise on the creation of design regulations. The committee should include developers, architects and designers, and community stakeholders.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 89

Conduct staff and board level design review processes to ensure compliance with new design regulations.

– The Council’s redlined version of the Comprehensive Plan, Page 89

Some attendees at the Oct. 9 Ordinance Committee hearing worried about slowing down development timelines. Others raised that design taste was subjective and that the city could miss out on architecture that may be appreciated in the future.

Some cities have design review for certain types of development, including Chicago and New York.

At present due to state regulations, the planning department legally can’t deny applications on subjective or aesthetic grounds, PPS previously reported.

“We need to make sure that we’re being consistent with state law, which generally says you’ve got to be explicit and objective in your standards,” Deputy Director of Planning Bob Azar said at the Sep. 17 City Planning Commission meeting. “Certain regulations, such as limits on how many steps a porch can have, could be a factor for improved design. But the look of buildings is largely up to the developer.”

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

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