We're in a Housing Crisis. Isn’t Affordable Housing Good?

 

ABSOLUTELY. We are in the midst of a serious housing crisis. Rents are skyrocketing and ordinary people cannot afford them.

 

HOWEVER, this particular development has no indications of being a genuine solution to the housing issues locals face. 

 

1. These units are planned to be 200-500 square feet each. Units that size are not designed for what we really need: reasonably-sized affordable housing for families. People deserve human and dignified housing.

2. There are NO promises surrounding the pricing of these units. There are no strings attached to the rezoning. Once built the developers can (and will!) charge as much money as the market will bear. They have said that the apartments will be "market rate," and based on their other apartment buildings, that means out of budget for many families. There isn't strong evidence that market rate micro-units add any relief to housing crises across the country.

3. The development is being created by a FOR PROFIT business with a history of poor management and tenant support. Residents of their other buildings are speaking out against their policies, even forming unions to advocate for basic rights and livable conditions. They have a poor track record in hundreds of units throughout Providence, including not maintaining or repairing units and widespread evictions.

 

Make no mistake - these will be overpriced, glorified dorm rooms that will be rented by people with no other option. And if approved, they will be the first of many. The East Side should not bear the burden of this development and other super density housing permitted by R-4 zoning.

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In fact, when asked point-blank about their near-identical project in Fox Point by concerned residents, the developers had this to say: "there are no plans at this time for affordable housing at the location; the rental units will be market rate."

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They’re Not Really Going to Build 58 Units, Right?

Yes, that is probably true - once built, the developers can choose how many units to fit in this building, and they’ll probably choose a smaller number as a “compromise” due to the issues listed above. At the community meeting on March 4th, the developers spoke and facetiously said "we've heard you that 58 is too many...we're now looking at 45 units." That’s beside the point - 45 units or 58 units or 35 units is all still too much density for this neighborhood to sustain. And it's a disingenuous bargaining tactic to get achieve their sardine-can-apartment goal.

 

The point is that the zoning laws are there for a reason. They exist to protect our community. A few streets away from Camp and Evergreen, the primary zoning switches to R2, then a few blocks farther it changes to R-1 (single family homes only). Why are those neighborhoods protected and ours expected to bear the burden of ultra-high-density?

 

There are other avenues open for building an apartment building or townhouses on property zoned for R-3. But they carry a number of legal restrictions to prevent damage to the neighborhood. And it is far easier for the developers if they can instead legally build whatever makes them the most profit.

 

What Has Happened in Other Cases?

 

This same group made a similar purchase in Fox Point. Despite controversy and the concerns of residents, Ward 1 representative John Goncalves said nothing during the city council meeting discussion of the R-4 rezoning and it was pushed through for approval.

 

It has been revealed that the developers donated more than $5,000 under different names to Goncalves’ political campaign. Goncalves didn’t stand up for Ward 1, but we are asking that Sue AnderBois stand up for us.

 

The same developers, under the name “Providence Living” built and operate other complexes in the city, and have a track record of evicting low-income families and creating terrible living conditions. Dozens of Providence Living tenants rallied in 2022, joining together to protest for safe and dignified housing. Rather than helping the affordable housing crisis, these developers are engaging in speculation and are part of the problem.

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When concerned resident brought up complaints against the developers in the community meeting, their attorney responded that he was not aware of any pending litigation at the property in question. Another dodge - the developers have dozens of individual LLCs and older lawsuits are difficult to track once closed. And most folks are afraid to or can't afford to take their landlord to court, no matter how awful they are.