Providence’s Latest Building Battle Heats Up in the Jewelry District
GoLocalProv News Team
Providence’s Latest Building Battle Heats Up in the Jewelry District
The project is requesting "demolition of two non-contributing structures and new construction of a twelve story, 131 unit mixed-use apartment building with first-floor retail space.”
Mike Corso with Providence Chestnut 1, LLC submitted the application for the project at 151-155 Chestnut Street this week with the Downtown Design Review Commission.
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As GoLocalProv reported in 2014:
Fox and Corso, Corso and Fox - two of Rhode Island's most influential power players of the past 15 years have been, and are now, inextricably linked.
The relationship between Gordon Fox and Michael Corso goes back to the early days of both their professional and political careers in the late 1990s after each graduated from New England law schools and joined two powerful Rhode Island entities
Corso joined developer Buff Chace's Cornish Associates. Chace is a member of one of Rhode Island's richest families (his cousin Kim Chace, was a leading Rhode Island investor and philanthropist and made Forbes 400 Richest List Annually before his death in 2011) and Buff Chace is best known as the developer who transformed Westminster street from vacant and underutilized desolate retail to Providence's version of Newbury Street.
Fox, the successor to Bill Murphy as Speaker of the House had helped orchestrate -- and direct -- the 38 Studios deal, and was in power until March 22, 2014, when he resigned from the Speaker's post following the first ever FBI and State Police raid in Rhode Island State House history.
Fox was sentenced in June 2015 to three-years in Federal prison for stealing $108,000 donated by campaign supporters to pay for personal expenses; accepting a $52,000 bribe to advocate and move for issuance of a liquor license for East Side Restaurant Shark while serving as Vice-Chairman of the City of Providence Board of Licenses in 2008; and failing to account for these illegal sources of income on his tax returns.
Fox pled the fifth over 800 times in his state lawsuit deposition pertaining to his involvement in 38 Studios. He has been released from federal prison.
Corso's Project
Gerner Kronick & Valcarcel Architects presented their 40 plus page design proposal to the commission.
Attorney Nick Hemond, who represents abutter Warren Pervis, pointed out that while they are legally allowed the 128 feet height requested, there are other considerations at hand.
“My client Warren Purvis — if you look at the plans — he owns 2 properties immediately next [to the proposed project],” said Hemond. “One is the [Mayor] Thomas Doyle house, and the other side on Elbow Street there’s another building on the historic register where he lives.”
“This monstrous development, even at 100 feet which they can do in the district, DDRC has the authority to have a say the design, we believe,” said Hemond.
According to Hemond, the DDRC is expected to take up the proposal at its next meeting in November.
Height vs. Design
At least one abutter is fine with the design — but not the height.
“I live across the street from this proposed building. Our building is 100 feet tall, the tallest building in the neighborhood (the historic Jewelry District). I like the design. I do not like the fact that it will mean the demolition of a historic building on the site,” wrote Building Bridges Providence on Facebook Wednesday morning, an organization which Olin Thompson serves on as President.
The post continued
Zoning limits a building in the neighborhood to 100 feet but with the opportunity of getting a 30% bonus if certain ground level conditions are met and the design of this building satisfies those conditions.
However, I do not want this building to be 130 feet as allowed (the proposal is for 128 feet) if the bonuses are granted. At 100 feet, I am in favor of this building. But 130 feet is out of character with the neighborhood.
The 4 abutters are all buildings of 30 feet or less. The buildings on the block in question are all 30 feet or less. The 8 National Historic List buildings within 500 feet of this proposed site are 100, 75, 80, 60, 70, 25, 30 and 80 feet.
At 100 feet, this proposed building works, at the proposed 128 feet, it does not fit in with the neighborhood.
Preservation Society Opposed
The Providence Preservation Society in its latest "advocacy alert" came out opposed to the project in its current design.
"PPS believes architecture can bolster neighborhood character while meeting contemporary development goals. The proposed building in this location does not; it would irrevocably alter the landscape and erase part of Providence's history," said PPS, which continued:
Additionally, the applicant asked for a 30% height bonus, allowable if sufficient room on the ground floor is given over to a "public amenity," such as a coffee shop or gym. While retail space and an active streetscape are desirable, PPS encourages the City of Providence to use height bonuses to incentivize affordable housing and climate resiliency.