PROVIDENCE – The City Plan Commission voted Tuesday to approve a mixed-use development that would bring 178 affordable housing units to 220 Blackstone St. in the city's South Providence neighborhood.
The developer, Boston-based Marathon Development LLC, is proposing to build an "L-shaped" six-story mixed-use building that would provide affordable housing units that would go for between 30%-80% of the area median income, as well as a day care on the ground floor with space for an outdoor playground.
There would be 13 residential units on the ground floor and 33 units consisting of one bedroom, two bedrooms and three bedrooms on the second through sixth floors for a total of 178 apartments. The plans also include a separate two-story building that would be used as an educational facility.
Harry F. Angevine, CEO of Marathon Development, said Monday that the developer is still determining what kind of education will be offered. The developer is in talks with two educational providers.
The project, titled Copley Centre I, would be constructed on the 4-acre site that was once home to the Edmund Flynn School and is adjacent to the Community College of Rhode Island’s Liston campus.
According to R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp. documents, Marathon Development was approved for a $2.7 million loan in February to purchase the property for $3.4 million.
Providence Deputy Planning Director Robert Azar pointed out that this is the third development proposal for the property.
The first proposal came when Massachusetts-based developer Aspen Group purchased the site with plans of constructing a medical office complex that never came to fruition.
Then in January 2022, planning commissioners granted preliminary plan approval for a similar project proposed by AR Building Co., which called for a six-story, 178-unit apartment building in an "L" shape, Providence Business News previously reported. While the plans were approved, the project, which included 217 parking spaces, received pushback from commissioners and local residents over the density of parking and lack of affordable housing units. It was not immediately clear what happened to the two proposals.
“In my opinion, this is probably the best site plan of all three,” Azar said.
Angevine said that the new plans were not related to AR Building Co.’s proposal and the company is planning to purchase the site with an estimated total project cost of approximately $70 million. Angevine expects construction would begin in June and would have an estimated completion date of late 2025 or early 2026.
So far, Angevine said, the proposal has received support from local residents and community members, including City Council members and neighborhood groups.
“We’re really excited,” he said. “We're really focused on helping provide the city what it needs."
Tina Ledo, interim CEO at Ronald McDonald House Charities of New England, which is located on the corner of Gay and Blackstone streets, spoke in favor of the overall project but raised concerns over the lack of parking and security in the area.
“We are happy to see this development progressing,” Ledo said. “Our primary concern is the safety and security around our building and making sure that we are taking care of our families who are undergoing a medical crisis ... and it's already a very challenging area for parking.”
In response to those concerns, a representative for Marathon Development said the company is happy to meet with the Ronald McDonald House to discuss the organization's concerns. The representative also said there are security cameras in the area and they have heard from City Council members that there is an excess of parking in the area.
Commissioners voted to grant Marathon Development a dimensional adjustment to allow for 101 parking spaces where 200 are required. Also, because the site has received approvals from the Narragansett Bay Commission and the R.I. Department of Energy, commissioners granted the developer a waiver to submit state approvals with the final plan instead of the preliminary plan. Along with this, Marathon was granted approval to combine master and preliminary plan approval, as materials for both have already been submitted, according to planning documents.
Finally, commissioners granted plan approval with several conditions, including that the drainage calculations and erosion control are reviewed by city engineers; the landscaping plans are approved by a forester; Marathon Development applies for an administrative subdivision to orient the lots; Marathon Development explores parking alternatives beyond what’s presented in the plans; and that final approval is delegated to Department of Planning and Development staff.
It was not immediately clear when the plans will be presented again.
(UPDATE to the story includes changes throughout, including mentioning the vote result in the first paragraph and additional comments from attendees in later paragraphs.)
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
