Fox Point Residents Oppose Project, Councilor Refuses to Take Stand & Takes Thousands From Developer

Fox Point Residents Oppose Project, Councilor Refuses to Take Stand & Takes Thousands From Developer

The Providence City Plan Commission (CPC) voted Tuesday night to move forward with the proposal for a five-story mixed-use building at 269 Wickenden Street, despite overwhelming opposition from neighbors. 

While the applicant “Fox Point Captal LLC” introduced a new rendering for the project that is proposed for the corner of Wickenden and Brook Streets, residents of the area continued to raise concerns. 

“Wickenden Street [has a] unique neighborhood character,” said Fox Point Neighborhood Association President Lily Bogosian at the packed meeting at the Joseph Doorley Municipal Building.  "This complex is the antithesis of everything that represents Wickenden Street.”

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Bogosian contended the construction of an “oversize structure lacking in neighborhood character” is not in compliance with the city’s comprehensive plan.

The developers — and the CPC — however, deemed that it is, and pushed the project forward to the next stage.

 

City Councilor Accepted Thousands in Campaign Contributions from Developer

The City Councilor who represents the Fox Point neighborhood — John Goncalves — has refused to take a position for, or against, the project.

The developer, Dustin Dezube, is the owner of Providence Realty Advisors, and according to records filed with the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s office, is also the man behind the project proposed by Fox Point Capital, LLC.

Dezube and other Providence Realty Advisors personnel are Goncalves' largest donors to his congressional campaign, with $3,300 in recent months.

Providence Realty Advisors staff have also donated another $2,300 to the Goncalves City Council campaign account — $2,000 coming from Dezube according to state records.

Goncalves repeatedly refused to answer questions from GoLocal if he supported the project or opposed the project.

Goncalves said in a text to GoLocal, “With all due respect urging the City Plan Commission to listen to my neighbors is a position.”

Dezube and his company Providence Realty Advisors have been the subject of complaints by tenants and repeated press coverage for allegations of poor living conditions and evictions.

“Organizing as the Providence Living Tenants Union, at least 22 renters experiencing terrible conditions in apartments throughout Providence created a list of demands. Joined by allies, they marched to the Providence Living offices at 296 Wickenden and taped the demands to the door of Providence Living,” reported Uprise RI.

 

Overwhelming Opposition

While the developers proposed what they contend is five-story structure, the slope of Wickenden Street — and the proposed use of a street-facing “cellar” floor — gives the building as proposed the visual effect of six-story building. 

“I do appreciate the change in design, but I’m still concerned about [that] corner presenting as a six-story building,” said CPC Chair Michael Gazdacko. 

“The building is simply too big for the neighborhood,” said Johnathan Knowles, an architect who lives on East Street in Fox Point. 

GoLocal architecture critic Will Morgan, who wrote about the initial design back in April, testified on Tuesday. 

“I encourage smart, intelligent, creative, economically stable development…it’s student slum,” said Morgan. “It’s designed solely to line the pockets of a single developer. I’m asking the CPC to be a force for good and not be a rubber stamp for development.”

Those who spoke out in support of the project cited the need for additional housing in Providence.

The developers told the CPC there are no plans at this time for affordable housing at the location; the rental units will be market rate. 

“I’m a public school teacher — I’m ashamed of my city tonight,” said Aaron Hill, who said he currently lives on Washington Street in downtown Providence. “I spend well over 1/3 of my income on my rent in a small attic.”

“The city refuses to change to accommodate renters, [who] live on low and middle income,” said Hill. “There’s talk of preserving neighborhoods for future generations….when current generations can’t even live here. It’s a shame people come up here and favor minor aesthetic beliefs over this.”

While the CPC was supposed to take three votes on Tuesday night — on the design waiver, dimensional adjustment, and then on the master plan — the CPC voted to approve the design waiver, and allow the developers to address the issue of the dimensional adjustment in the next step, the preliminary planning stage.