PROVIDENCE – State elected and housing officials on May 16 approved more than $102 million in funding awards for various housing construction, preservation and operating costs across Rhode Island, Gov. Daniel J. McKee, the R.I. Department of Housing and R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp. announced Thursday.
About 60% of the funding - $63 million – comes from the state’s share of the federal American Rescue Plan Act funds and other state funding sources to address housing and homelessness within the state, officials say. Plus, approximately $47.2 million was awarded to seven contractors to construct nine developments within Rhode Island’s capital city.
“In order to meet the needs of Rhode Islanders, our state needs to produce more housing – at more affordable levels. With these investments, we are making more progress in that direction,” R.I. Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor said in a statement. “The developments funded through this round are significant projects that will grow and preserve housing options, with a focus on middle-income and affordable housing, across our state.”
The developers who received funding for the Providence-based projects, and the projects they are working on, are:
- Crossroads Rhode Island: Developing “Crossroads Health and Housing,” a five-story mixed-use building with 35 one-bedroom apartments, community and commercial space, and office space for Crossroads staff
- Hope & Main: Develop Hope & Main West Kitchens, a 20,000-square-foot campus of two properties providing six shared-use kitchens and infrastructure for specialized food production
- Omni Development Corp.: Developing Omni Newark, a five-story elevator building with 52 affordable units and community/commercial space
- Postal Kitchen LLC: Developing “Postal Apartments” by converting a 1949 post office building into 12 residential units and 2,000 square feet of commercial space
- Pennrose LLC: Developing Parcel 9 to build a 127-unit, mixed-income, mixed-use apartment complex in the Fox Point neighborhood
- S.W.A.P. Inc. (Stop Wasting Abandoned Property): Developing 321 Knight St. as a five-floor mixed-use complex with commercial/community space and 41 affordable units for larger families and individuals with disabilities
- Winn Cos.: Developing Lockwood Plaza to contain 209 townhouses and units for low-income residents, a community room and kitchen, management offices, laundry services and parking
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
