I'd like call a meeting to order. Good evening, everyone. Thank you so much for being here to the committee and order this public hearing. Madam clerk, please call the roll.
Chairman Espinal? Present. Vice chairwoman Peterson? Present. Councilwoman Harris.
Councilman Vargas is absent. Councilor Royes.
You have four present and one absent. You have a quorum.
Thank you so much. If you are here to speak and you have not had an opportunity to sign up, you could still do that. Thanks again for being here. K. Madam clerk, we have an exhibit.
So I'll entertain a motion to enter into the record exhibit b. So moved. Motion is made by councilwoman Peterson and the second by councilman Royall. All in favor, aye. Opposed?
The ayes have it. Thank you. So, again, thank you so much for being here. It's such an important moment that we have here as we continue to put together the comprehensive plan, which will will lay down the road map for the development within the city for the next ten year. So I feel that it's a it's a critical time.
So I'm glad that everyone is here. Tonight, we're also joined by councilwoman Anthea Graves, councilwoman Anthony, councilwoman Miguel Sanchez, councilwoman Enderbord, also members of the planning department, as well as SIDS solicitor and our chief of staff and our policy team. Thank you all for being here. Councilman Gunkov as well. Thank you so much.
So we're gonna start out by a brief description as to what we've been doing, where we are today. And for that, I'll call upon mister Bob Basover in Department of Planning. Mister Hazus, all yours. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, My members of the name is Robert Azar. I'm the Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Development. It's a privilege to be in front of you tonight with this draft comprehensive plan. It's been a long road to get here tonight, and we're excited to see such a great turnout by the public and members of the council to hear about people's impressions of this draft.
I'm just going to briefly give you an overview of how we got here and then describe a couple of little features of the plan before we turn it over to public comment. We've been working at this since about 2022 when we first started our public engagement. In 2023, we ramped it up into various methods of participation. We used online, in person, large group, small group discussions. We were out in the neighborhoods and out in all 15 of the wards engaging with the public and learning about how people view the city, the strengths, the weaknesses, the things that we need, the things that we could do better.
In 2024, we started producing draft elements of the plan. We solicited feedback and we brought it into the City Plan Commission for the statutory required review by our local planning board. We had regular and special meetings in February through May 2024 And this was a constantly an iterative process where we took comment and updated the plan accordingly. We also heard extensively from the city council members who have been partners with us since the beginning. The city plan commission approved the plan in June of this year unanimously, and they have now forwarded to you.
There has been three weeks of advertising as required by statute and that brings us here tonight actually following one informational session that we had with this body last week. So just to talk a little bit about what this plan is, we consider this to be a roadmap for sustainable growth for Providence for the next decade. The plan envisions a Providence where everyone can find a home, can have a job, raise a family, and reach their fullest potential. This plan contains forward looking policies that address climate change, economic development, transportation, city services and much more. Importantly, this plan proposes bold and thoughtful solutions to the housing crisis by making it easier to build housing types that we know and love while also investing in affordable housing and improving design standards.
We're looking forward to hearing public comment tonight. My colleague, Tim Shea, and I will be listening carefully and taking notes. We've heard from many people since this draft has been approved, including many of you about what you would like to see changed and we already have a running list of potential amendments to the draft plan. We expect that following public comment tonight, you will continue this hearing to a date certain so that we can have a little bit of time to consolidate the comments, come back to you with proposed changes. And last, I would just request maybe a minute or two following the public comment to just sort of wrap up and maybe address some of the questions that might have come up tonight.
Appreciate it, mister Hayes. Thank you so much. Okay. With that, we're gonna go to the public. Seated sergeant, Could you please bring me the sign up sheet?
Thank you. Okay. So the first one on the list, and everyone will get two minutes, and I will hold it to two minutes since... Because we do have a large number of people that wanna be heard. And I want...
We wanna hear from everyone. Mister Grant Dugarian? Good evening, Grant.
Good evening, Grant Bulgarian. 20 Extra Street in province. My recommendation to the city council is to send this plan back to the city planning commission, tell the city planning commission to do its job. What's the matter? Okay.
Oh, sorry. Much better. Much better. Sorry.
I don't mean to yell or shout. The City Plan Commission did not do what I requested at the very outset of this process, which was hold of one public hearing on each section of the plan so people could give detailed responses to that section. They didn't do that, they didn't wanna do that, they wanted superficial comments, and that was that. That's not the way it ought to work. And I'm not suggesting you guys do it because you have enough things to work on, including the city budget.
Tell the city planning commission to do its job. Send it back to the planning commission. Excuse The the City Planning Commission made amendments after they closed the public hearing and then didn't allow people to comment on their amendments. That's not the way it's supposed to work. That's not the way you guys work.
Why is the City Planning Commission allowed to do it that way? The there are they have nice objectives in this plan, but they don't talk about specifics of how are you getting there. Let's talk about three different areas. Number one, housing. We were a city in 1950 of a quarter of a million people.
In twenty years, lost 40% of our population. We didn't slice and dice the existing residential neighborhoods. So why are we proposing to do that now? There's no justification for that. What I asked the city plan commission to do was to get maps of the city organized by census tract indicating what the population was in 1950 and what the population is now.
We've gained some population back, not much. And also a map of the city organized by census tracts of what the number of dwelling units per census tract were in 1950 and what they are now. They refused to do that. I'm a firm believer the more information we have, better decisions we make. We need to know where we were so we can plot plot a course of action to get to where we wanna be.
Thirty thirty seconds is the... You got thirty... It's about thirty seconds. Alright.
Previous city council, when they all had public hearings, allowed people to speak and then sit down and if they had more to say, they would come back after everyone else got a chance to speak one time. They could come back for a second time. So I would encourage the city council to do the same thing. The recycling, we talk about the fact that province's recycling rate is dismal. But do we talk about how we can improve that situation?
No. There are specific recommendations that we could do, Easy. No cost. We don't talk about that. Transportation.
We talk about we want mobility. Does the city of Providence do diddly squat as far as supporting the operation of RIPTA? No. In fact, they do the exact opposite.
Alright, Grant. Thank you You so can always come back on October 2. We... This will be continued. So let's hold it here two minutes.
You can always come back on October 2. Thank you so much. Justin Baptista.
Yes. It is my opinion that the latest comprehensive plan is needed be revision in the area of up zoning. Up zoning as proposed by those who made the plan is up zoning to it to it's extreme. Out of control with little to no regard for their disruptive impact on neighborhoods, proposed upzoning lacks the following. Not enough protection for historic provision against demolition, expanding historic district protection to include key landmarks and buildings, strict, standards to ensure new developments fit a neighborhood's external design, centering on areas with the most amount of space for development in terms of empty lots and abandoned buildings suited for adaptive reuse like Downtown Providence.
Requirement for all new residential buildings to feature affordable housing for those who make minimum wage and less, who are the most affected by the housing crisis. Affordable housing tax incentives, transit friendly standards for developments, balance of growth with increasing the tax base for preserving neighborhoods. If measures such these are not qualified or implemented, the comprehensive plan will fail to solve the housing crisis. It will only make the problem worse for those affected. There is no guarantee that more housing will lower prices in the area.
Adding more houses would would likely increase the market rate. Long term residents would be displaced in growing numbers. You can't put out a fire by pouring gasoline in into it.
You about you got about twenty seconds.
You also can't put out a fire by trying to change what shape it is in. The comprehensive plan is supposed to be for Providence. Tearing down what makes Providence unique goes against it. Historic buildings must be perfected protected for as long as it can be preserved. Neighborhoods for Fox Point must be protected, from the dangers of demolition and over development.
When I say protected, mean all that is required not the bare minimum. For instance, a historic district overlay for the Fox Point Wickering area, neighborhoods with historic buildings need more of a voice in the future of those buildings. They are so proud as well.
Just to now say, like any other.
Thank you so much. Dorothy Hechington, I believe. Sorry.
It's pronounced Tetherington, sorry.
Evening. I'm here to oppose section mobility objective one page three seven line n that supports the removal of Ripta's bus hub right behind you from Downtown Providence. The removal of the bus hub would affect tons of province city councils of residents. It will cost the taxpayer an estimated 200 to $250,000,000 to just move the bus hub, and that would be on the taxpayers. And I actually feel bad for the city council because you all passed this unanimously back in May, resolution against the removal of RIFTA's bus hub from Downtown Providence, and this line somehow made it into the comprehensive plan.
You're being undermined. That's sad. I would like this line to be removed, and I would also urge the council to ask why it was added to comprehensive plan when you all passed a resolution against the removal of RIPTA from Downtown Providence. Providence. Thank you for your time.
Thank you. Lorraine Sabar and Good evening. Good evening, Lorraine.
