Keith Fernandes is the president of the Providence Apartment Association. The association is a volunteer organization of landlords who own property across the city, according to its website, and who share information about common issues and concerns.
PBN: What has the Providence Apartment Association been working on this year?
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FERNANDES: The association’s No. 1 priority is the disparate tax structure in the city, wherein properties that are nonowner occupied pay a 70 percent higher rate than other similar properties. This has been the primary cause of rising rents, something we warned of in 2010. That being said, limiting tax breaks for luxury residential development, addressing student housing issues and overall affordable-housing policy is on the list in 2019.
PBN: The association is well-known for its support that led to the two-tiered residential tax rate in Providence, for owner-occupied and nonowner-occupied properties. How is that working out?
FERNANDES: The current city council, until the change in leadership, was working to address this issue. Everyone agrees that the people who can least afford to pay higher rents are impacted because of it. We intend to work with [Mayor Jorge O. Elorza] and the new incoming council leadership to fix this once and for all. The time for talk is over. It’s time to act if you truly believe in working for our lower-income residents.
PBN: The city is considering zoning changes that would limit the number of non-related people occupying single- and two-family structures. Is this something the association has a position on?
FERNANDES: At the moment we are studying the issue. This came to a head with a few properties on the East Side recently. Most people don’t know that we supported [Councilwoman] Jo-Ann Ryan when she needed to address the issue of landlords buying single-family houses in an R1 zone near Providence College, helping to pass it. What’s right is right, and if a landlord does not want to be a good neighbor, we don’t want them here.
On the flip side, a few bad apples cannot be a catalyst for a citywide policy impacting other people who are doing the right thing. One idea being floated is to allow people to convert their second- and third-floor apartments into legal, separate units. When you have an apartment that encompasses two floors, you end up with so many people together, usually students. Smaller units would help landlords rent to folks other than students.
PBN: What is the association’s position on the Hope Point Tower and Mayor Elorza’s veto of a rezoning to accommodate its height?
FERNANDES: The association stands with the mayor on this. I know we’re close to Christmas, but it seems like it’s tax stabilizations for everyone who wants one. It’s supposed to be targeted tax policy, not a free-for-all. When so many people all over the city are saying “hold on,” there is certainly an issue. There are height, design and oversupply issues. We’re putting the horse before the cart. Let’s be laser-focused on attracting jobs, which is actually a stated goal for the [Interstate 195] land. Residential developers will build on their own if that happens.
PBN: What other issues concern the apartment building owners? Complaints about on-street parking in neighborhoods seems to be cropping up in a few areas.
FERNANDES: I am not aware of problems with on-street parking. If a street does not want it, two-thirds of the residents can gather signatures and ban it on that street. But most old cities need it and that seems like a reasonable compromise. Many apartment owners also live in the city. We’re all in this together, like it or not. And we’re best when we all work as one to make our city better each day. Leave the fighting to Washington, D.C.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
