PROVIDENCE – The City Plan Commission on Tuesday approved the master plan for a five-story apartment building at 116 Waterman St. adjacent to the Brown University campus, despite opposition from neighbors concerned about the size of the building that could become student housing.
The approval came contingent upon recommendations from the commission meant to address some of the concerns raised by residents and City Council members John Goncalves and Helen Anthony during a hearing Tuesday.
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The developer plans to demolish two residential dwellings located at 116 Waterman St. and 382 Brook St. and merge the two lots to construct the apartment building, which will contain ground-floor commercial space and 25 residential units.
Walter Bronhard and Brook Holding LLC, the project developer and owner, are seeking permission – or a dimensional adjustment – to construct the building to a height of 61 feet and five floors, which is above the permitted 50-foot and four-floor maximum for the area.
The developer also asked for a design waiver from a rule prohibiting residential buildings from being located within 20 feet of a “main street,” in this case Waterman Street.
During Tuesday’s hearing, some members of the public expressed concerns over the height of the proposed building, arguing that an additional floor of residents would lead to more trash, more noise pollution and issues with parking.
Goncalves, who represents Ward 1 where the proposed project is located, opposed allowing the building to exceed the allowed height.
“It establishes, in many of the neighbors’ opinions, a dangerous precedent for the College Hill neighborhood in terms of massing and scale,” Goncalves said. “An additional story in height means an overall potential of 50 additional students to this area which will further diminish undermine the quality of life for the abutters and residents in this neighborhood.”
Anthony, who represents Ward 2, agreed.
“In College Hill, we are trying to maintain a very delicate balance between universities, businesses and surrounding neighborhoods,” she said. “The only way we are able to maintain this delicate balance is to enforce and strengthen our zoning in that particular area.”
The current development project is exempt from parking requirements and does not include any new parking spaces. A resident of Lloyd Avenue, expressed concern over parking spaces, arguing that the “high-intensity building” could potentially lead to more “intense and problematic” parking situation.
The proximity of the building to Brown University also raised some worries over the possibility of student parties and noise pollution.
“I get the fact that the community is not always excited about having more students in this area, but this is Brown University and they need housing,” said John Garrahy, an attorney representing Walter Bronhard. “It’s not a dormitory; it’s a multi-family dwelling which will include students and may include others.”
To address some of the concerns raised at the hearing, the commission approved the project’s master plan contingent upon three actions: the commission granting of the dimensional height adjustment and a design waiver at the preliminary plan phase; the developer holding a community meeting to discuss the project with neighbors; and the developer working with the city to exceed the canopy-coverage requirement and provide more street-level trees.
