Home News Story I-195 District teams up with Providence Housing Authority on vision for Parcel...

I-195 District teams up with Providence Housing Authority on vision for Parcel 41

Updated at 5:34 p.m.

By

Katie Castellani

-

07/29/2025

Screenshot 2025-07-29 at 11.17.31 AM — THE I-195 Redevelopment District Commission has big plans for one of its smallest parcels.

PROVIDENCE – The I-195 Redevelopment District Commission has big plans for one of its smallest parcels. On July 16, commissioners passed a resolution that outlines its plans for Parcel 41, a 0.29-acre plot located on the corner of Pine and East Franklin streets at the far west edge of the district. The small, grassy lot

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PROVIDENCE – The I-195 Redevelopment District Commission has big plans for one of its smallest parcels. On July 16, commissioners passed a resolution that outlines its plans for Parcel 41, a 0.29-acre plot located on the corner of Pine and East Franklin streets at the far west edge of the district. The small, grassy lot is right next to the Providence Housing Authority’s administrative offices and Dexter Manor, a 291-unit, 10-story high-rise apartment building for elderly and disabled residents. The idea is to combine the two properties to get the most out of the site. “By working together, we can get a better project that has more benefits for both agencies than if we weren't collaborating,” said Caroline Skuncik, executive director of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission. The district approached the housing authority, which owns the rest of the block that Parcel 41 is on, last year about working together regarding potential uses of the parcel and the possibility of combining the parcel with the plot that Dexter Manor sits on, Skuncik said. A representative for the housing authority did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A draft of the housing authority’s revised 2025 annual plan indicates that it is assessing its real estate portfolio for “preservation, repositioning, and potential redevelopment.” The first development to be assessed is Dexter Manor. The housing authority has secured a $250,000 predevelopment grant from the R.I. Housing & Mortgage Finance Corp. to fund consultants “necessary to consider preservation/repositioning/redevelopment concepts and options for Dexter Manor.” The housing authority convened a working group, including the I-195 District; the I-195 District's planning and design firm, Utile; and the housing authority’s consultant, EJP Consultants, to consider how the properties could be redeveloped. The project will incorporate mixed-income housing, per the housing authority's request, Skuncik said. Also, an assessment of the combined sites shows that it must be at least six stories high and the building could accommodate 60 to 170 units with amenity or community space. The housing authority is expected to issue a request for qualifications for a third-party developer for construction on the site, as well as the renovation of Dexter Manor, and choose one by the end of 2025. A selection committee, including Skuncik, will be tasked with choosing the developer. Once a developer is picked, Skuncik and I-195 District Chairperson Marc Crisafulli have 90 days to negotiate and execute a letter of intent to sell Parcel 41 to the developer, according to the resolution that I-195 District commissioners passed. Parcel 41 is priced at $250,000. (UPDATE adjusts the spelling of Utile and identifies it as the I-195 District's planning and design firm in the eighth paragraph.) Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.