at Eagle Square.
A controversial development in the heart of Providence’s Eagle Square neighborhood may be a step closer to construction — despite continued opposition from members of the community.
In two City Plan Commission meetings late last year, more than 400 artists turned out to publicly object to the destruction of the area in which they worked, so a development corporation could put in a strip mall with a Shaw’s Supermarket and 26 neighboring stores. The proposed development is at Atwells Avenue and Eagle Street.
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New York’s Feldco Development removed itself from the agenda of a third Plan Commission meeting scheduled for January 16, and in turn withdrew its application. Now the company has gone straight to the city’s Department of Building Inspection and Standards and Chief Zoning Officer and Building Official Ramzi Loqa.
Loqa has indicated that the city is prepared to issue permits to Feldco.
“As far as I’m concerned (Feldco) can come in here tomorrow, and if they own the building, they can demolish the building,” he said. “They don’t need Planning Commission approval.”
Providence Planning Director John Palmieri said he interpreted the city’s Zoning Ordinance in a way that would require the developer to submit a plan for committee review, and approval of the site plan for Eagle Square. Based on Loqa’s statement he now concedes this was not necessary.
“I failed to confer with Ramzi Loqa, and I should have done that as just a practical measure,” he said. “It is likely that Ramzi would have confirmed that the applicant would have had no responsibility to confer with review.”
Brian Principe, a member of the Providence Plan Commission, said the developer is going to the first hurdle without going through the starting gate.
“They’re trying to just railroad this thing through and disregard the procedures the City has set up,” said Principe.
Demming Sherman, a lawyer with Providence-based Edwards & Angell who represents the artists in Eagle Square, said he plans to take legal action. At press time he had asked Loqa for formal ruling on several questions.
Loqa said according to Section 421 of the Providence Zoning Ordinance, this area is a major land development, and because it is single-use commercial and/or industrial area, the developer does not need to go through the Planning Commission.
Gene Beaudoin, a partner at Feldco was excited about this news.
“We as a development team are gratified that the city’s position was the one we espoused all along,” said Beaudoin.
“It was not us who brought this forward,” he said. “It was Ramzi or his office, and it caught us a little bit by surprise but we’re quite pleased about it.”
Some of the artists in the community are not quite as pleased. Spokesperson for the artists and the Providence Industrial Mill Building Association Raphael Lyon said his organization approached the development company about a mixed-use redevelopment plan for the area, which was rejected. A class at Rhode Island School of Design is also working to put together alternatives to the strip mall plan.
“We’ve offered them several opportunities to make changes in their plan, and they’ve made only the most minuscule changes,” he said.
Beaudoin asserted that the company is working with the community as much as it can. There are several suggestions the Planning Commission made, which the company vows to honor.
“We’ll continue to honor those even though we have no requirement to honor them,” he said. “For example the bike path through the site is 1,200 feet long and 10 feet wide, which is wider than we had planned, but that’s what the Parks Department asked for, and that bike path will be dedicated over to them.”
Palmieri said the developers don’t have to do this.
“He is still committed to work with the city although he may technically be able to pull the permit,” he said. “He has made it clear he will agree to comply with the pre-agreed changes.”
Principe said he thinks the development goes against the city’s Comprehensive Plan, and City Hall is not speaking up.
“I just find it to be sad,” he said. “These are the ugly things that you read about. I’m sure there’s going to be litigation.”
Litigation or not, Beaudoin thinks the development will begin very shortly.
“I would think that we’re weeks, not months away from starting the process,” he said.
