Documents Show Top 195 Commission Officials Did Not Know Regulations While Selecting Developer

Documents Show Top 195 Commission Officials Did Not Know Regulations While Selecting Developer

Hundreds of pages of documents secured by GoLocalProv unveil that top officials of the 195 Commission were unaware of the basic regulations that affected the controversial Parcel 2 proposed project. Emails between Chair Robert Davis and Executive Director Caroline Skuncik unveil their lack of awareness of the regulations regarding height and other restrictions.  

The formal process for selecting a developer for the highly sought-after Parcel 2 began months ago. The developers vying for the land adjacent to the Michael Van Leesten Bridge in the 195 District began in the summer and three finalists were selected in the fall.

By the beginning of 2022, the 195 Commission chaired by Davis — a Boston-based attorney who was appointed by Gina Raimondo in 2017 — was pushing to select the preferred developer.

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Three finalists had all gone through formal presentations and proposed six-story projects. The proposals were heavily criticized by neighbors from College Hill, Fox Point and the Jewelry District as being “too big.”

Others including design experts, preservationists, and historians raised a battery of concerns. Elected officials for the area weighed in too.

 

Internal Email Show Confusion

After the 195 Commission had selected the three finalists and were moving towards select to select the finalist, documents showed confusion by 195 Commission officials. 

On January 12, 2022, at 11:45 AM, Davis sent an email to Skuncik, "Is he right about the height limitation? I thought we were consistent with the City Ordinance in terms of a number of requirements, including height.”

 

The "he" referenced in Davis' email was newly elected State Senator Sam Zurier, who raised concerns that the proposals were in violation of the height restrictions.

 

Skuncik emailed back to Davis and others less than 15 minutes later, “I noticed that as well. I’ll have to check with Tim [???] but I also thought it was 4 stories [sic] be right plus 2 bonus.”

 

Minutes later, Davis emailed back to Skuncik and others, “That would be a significant difference. Four floors would negatively affect many of the views in question.”

 

The confusion continued in messages.

 

Hours later at 2:46 PM, Skuncik emailed that she had contacted the city of Providence.

 

“I called Bob Azar on this. He confirmed the City zoning for Parcel 2 is 4 stories by right with the ability to get 2 bonus stories if you meet [sic] to of the following …”

 

At 5:47 PM, Davis asked Skuncik in a follow-up email, “Any of the three projects qualify for the bonus [2 floors]?

 

 

 

 

Skuncik told Davis, “Yes all three would.”

 

Two days later, Davis drafted a response letter to Zurier and the Councilor John Goncalves.

 

On February 2, the 195 Commission selected Boston-based Urbanica as the preferred developer for Parcel 2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 195 Commission's paid consultant Cara Cromwell did not respond to questions about the emails.

 

The email exchange is the latest example of what appears to be the confusion by the leadership of the 195 Commission and their lack of knowledge of the most basic regulations relating to the hundreds of millions of dollars in development in the district.