PROVIDENCE – Construction of a 61-unit apartment building in the Fox Point neighborhood of Providence has received a go-ahead from the City Plan Commission.
The commission in a 5-1 vote approved the preliminary plan and a height adjustment for the five-story building, following a nearly six-hour meeting conducted through the Zoom platform.
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The project by owner and applicant HV Collins Co., will involve the razing of two existing commercial buildings at 99-101 Gano St.
The new building is designed by Union Studio Architecture and Design and will feature enclosed parking for 61 vehicles, topped by four floors of apartments in one- and two-bedroom configurations. It will rise to a height of 60 feet, which is 10 feet higher than the zoning allows. The City Plan Commission in its decision allowed the additional height.
The project did not require rezoning. The C-2 zone allows multifamily housing by right, according to the city’s Department of Planning and Zoning.
The decision followed more than an hour of public comment on the project, most of it opposed. Residents of Fox Point and the Wayland Square neighborhoods cited the size and scale of the building and its impact on traffic.
John Goncalves, who is running unopposed to represent the neighborhood on the Providence City Council, urged a no vote. Although the project has been scaled back in size from the six-story building originally proposed, it’s still too big, he said. “It’s going to block sunlight and breezes and river views,” he said. “This scale … is not consistent with the predominantly residential nature of Gano Street.”
Nina Tannenwald, representing the Wayland Square Neighborhood Association, said the height allowance would set a bad precedent. “It will set a precedent for subsequent developers all along Gano Street,” she said.
In voting to approve, several commission members cited the need for more housing in Providence at all price levels. The location, near the Wickenden Street intersection, is in a walkable area of the city. The Providence comprehensive plan encourages more housing in areas of the city that can support additional density, said Christine West, the commission chairwoman.
“We’ve got to weigh that against what the concerns are,” she said.
The project will also involve the landscaping of a buffer area adjoining the public bike path, which runs along two sides of the site.
“We have a precious gem in our bike paths. This project preserves that and enhances that,” West said.
The only opposition vote on the council was cast by Miguel Quezada. He cited the impact on the surrounding community and the traffic. “That is something that should be taken into consideration. It’s a very tight street.”
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
