Carla DeStefano | Executive director, Stop Wasting Abandoned Property
1. What is SWAP’s priority now in the Greater South Providence neighborhoods, and are rental apartments or homeownership the focus? Our priority is to provide a range of affordable homes for sale and apartments for rent, so we work in both development areas concurrently. Much of the production timing is based upon the program funding available. Certainly, one of the larger priorities for Providence right now is the redevelopment of the Barbara Jordan II housing project in Upper South Providence. Our proposal, in response to [an R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp.] request for proposal, will include very low-income rental apartments and incorporate homes for sale to entry-level, low-income buyers.
2. Can you provide an update on Revitalize Southside? Revitalize Southside is a mixed-use development of affordable apartments and commercial spaces along the Broad Street and Prairie Avenue commercial corridors. It was completed in 2017 and is fully leased.
3. Is SWAP developing across the city in multiple neighborhoods? While SWAP has focused its work in South Providence over the last 20 years, we do work to deliver affordable housing in other parts of the city and state. Since 1975, we have invested $118 million in transforming and revitalizing Providence’s urban neighborhoods. In addition to Maplewoods [in Manton], we were part of a development team for the 60 King Street, the … adaptive reuse of the Imperial Knife Building in Olneyville.
4. What is the greatest challenge facing the agency this year? The need and demand for entry-level affordable homes for sale and family-size apartments for rent is ever present. The spike in housing costs over the past couple of years has driven the demand for housing affordable to all Rhode Islanders to near-crisis levels. Having the resources available to address the demand is always the greatest challenge.
5. Give us a sense of how much demand Providence has for affordable apartments. How long are the waiting lists? SWAP is data-driven from the federal, state and very local level. We watch trends but we respond to the people who walk through our door looking for help finding an affordable place to live. We update our intake list every spring and it has [had] over 1,200 [names] for the past five years. Further, the range of zip codes that applicants are coming from has expanded well beyond Providence.
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.
