PROVIDENCE – A century-old, gabled apartment building on a prominent corner of Wickenden Street could be torn down and replaced with a modern apartment building.
The Providence City Plan Commission is considering an application for a four-story, 15-unit apartment building, with retail on the first floor and apartments on upper levels.
The existing structure, at 387 Wickenden St., would be demolished. The building occupies the corner of Hope and Wickenden streets.
The development proposal is put forward by Wickenden 387 LLC.
The existing building dates to 1910 and has a vacated retail store on Wickenden, the former Aqua-Life Aquarium, as well as three apartments on upper floors.
The property was previously owned by George Goulart Jr., according to city property records, who sold the property to Wickenden 387 LLC for $685,000 on Sept. 16.
A public hearing on the new plan is scheduled for 4:45 p.m. on Oct. 29.
Fox Point residents plan to attend, said Nick Cicchitelli, president of the Fox Point Neighborhood Association. He’s concerned about the size of the building, the increase in density and the lack of parking.
The same developer pitching this project recently finished another new apartment building nearby on Wickenden, which Cicchitelli called “a monstrosity.”
“Character is big,” he said, of concerns in the neighborhood that Fox Point is losing its older buildings. “And parking is a concern too.”
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
