Providence City Council Meeting | October 9th, 2024 | Committee on Ordinances
Roll Call
The clerk conducted a roll call of committee members to establish attendance. A quorum was confirmed present with three members in attendance.
Item 1 Introduction and Exhibits - Comprehensive Plan Ordinance
The committee opened discussion on an ordinance to adopt the City of Providence's official comprehensive plan. Planning staff provided updates on recent map changes, and motions were approved to enter Exhibits E and F into the record.
Staff Presentation on Proposed Comprehensive Plan Amendments
City council policy staff presented detailed amendments to the comprehensive plan covering micro business support, inclusionary zoning, port industrial use prohibitions, and mobility goals. Staff clarified the timeline and noted the full amendment package will be formally introduced the following week.
Public Comment on Comprehensive Plan
Members of the public and advocacy groups delivered testimony regarding transit-oriented development, housing density, parking minimums, and port environmental protections. Speakers voiced strong support for climate resilience policies and prohibiting new gas stations across the city.
Motion to Amend Mobility Chapter on New Gas Stations
Councilor Leroyas moved to amend the mobility chapter of the comprehensive plan to prohibit new gas stations and prioritize electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The motion was seconded by Councilor Harris and unanimously adopted by the committee.
Public Comment and Discussion on Comprehensive Plan (Continued)
Residents and representatives shared testimony concerning the Jewelry District designation, working waterfront industrial regulations, student housing tracking, and residential zoning impacts. Council members and staff addressed community concerns regarding neighborhood preservation, housing affordability, and small business support.
Motion to Continue and Adjournment
The committee considered a motion to continue the public hearing on the comprehensive plan to the following Wednesday. The motion was approved unanimously, and the meeting was adjourned.
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Madam clerk, please call the roll.
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Chairman Espinal?
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Present.
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Vice chairwoman Peterson is absent. Councilwoman Harris? Present. Councilman Vargas is absent. Councilor Royas?
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Present.
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You have three present and two absent. You have a quorum.
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Thank you. First item on the agenda, please.
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Item number one is an ordinance adopting the city of Providence's official comprehensive plan.
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Thank you. Alright. Tonight, we have our friends from Department of Planning presenting. I'll call first mister Bob Azar. Thank you, Bob.
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Thank you, mister chair, members of the committee. Robert Azar, deputy director of the Department of Planning and Development. Just couple of introductions here. We when we were here last time, there had been a couple of map changes that we put into the record. And since that meeting, there are a couple more based on discussions that we've had with individual council members and council staff.
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So these are all at the request of council members or council staff. So I'll just read these and they are reflected in the supplemental package that we gave you today. They will be reflected in an updated future land use map and the future zoning map. First is one hundred twenty six Power Street. That's in the 1st Ward.
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That would be a change from R 1 to I 2. In the second I'm sorry. In the 3rd Ward, 213 And 215 Camp Street, we would designate those as high density residential. And there are areas of Ward 11 and Ward 12. I'm not going to give you all the addresses because it's a fair number of properties.
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But these are areas that we had proposed for up zoning to R4 that also are in national registered districts. So the proposal is that we keep these areas R3 and these are in the Oakland Avenue corridor from between Smith And Eaton Streets, streets between Candace And Pekin and Holden. Those are all in Board 12, again corresponding with the boundaries of National Register Historic Districts. And then in Ward 11, this would be along the Pine Friendship and Maple Street corridor, again corresponding with the National Register District. So those would all stay as three family residential zones.
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I would like to just add that we've had a busy week working through this with council staff. I wanna thank council staff for meeting with us and working with us and hashing out the details. I'll say that there are a couple of areas where we still have some disagreements, but I I hope and trust that in the next week we can come to resolution and we can all get this across the finish line at at the conclusion of the public hearing. So thank you staff. Thank you members of the council and the committee.
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Thank you, mister Azar. With that, I'll entertain a motion to enter into the record exhibit f.
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So moved.
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Motion made by councilor Harris and second by councilor Moroi. All in favor, aye. Aye. Opposed, the ayes have it. And I'll also entertain a motion to enter into the record exhibit e, which is a number of letters of testimonies.
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Motion is made by councilor Harris, second by councilor Maroy. All in favor, aye. Opposed? The ayes have it. Thank you.
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City sergeant, would you please bring the list of test people that have signed up to testify tonight, please? And before we do that, I'll our policy team, Aaron and June, will be also be testifying on the plan.
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Alright. Thank you everyone. Mhmm. What I'd like to do is just walk through some of the major amendments that are, you know, currently proposed. They are currently posted on our website, if I'm not mistaken, so that's something that, you know, folks can also refer to.
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So I'll just walk through and speak on
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the sections. I'll speak to the changes, and then I'll give a little background on
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the rationale as to why we decided to do so. So the the first of of the changes here is that in the economic development chapter, we've added language that supports micro businesses. Across the comprehensive plan, we mentioned small businesses. However, we went in and changed that language in all places where that appears, we have small and micro businesses and understanding that micro businesses are defined as businesses that have 10 employees or less. And the rationale behind that is to allow the city to direct support to some of the businesses that may need it the most and those that are the most popular across the city.
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So that's one of the major changes. So moving from there, we will you'll see that, I'll say in objective h two regarding the production of new housing for all, we made some changes. So in h two m, we actually added language and I'll actually read it out fully and I'll kinda speak to what was crossed on what was added. So continue to support and establish new programs that encourage developers to build housing that is affordable to all including by adopting inclusionary zoning measures that are calibrated with text and subsidy policy changes to enhance development feasibility. And one of the reasons why we're doing that is understanding that if we are to move forward with inclusionary zoning policies, we certainly need to match that with tax subsidy policies.
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So that is a major change that was, you know, added. So moving along, you'll see in, you know, it's h two u, same section, completely new language that we've added, work with community development corporations to conduct an analysis of displacement risk across the city to understand which neighborhoods are most vulnerable and ensure they are prioritized for affordable housing development. And one reason, you know, we wanted to add that language is to, you know, tie the city to its commitments in anti displacement in previous studies that were done under previous administrations. So moving along, h two, which is v, we've also added language that we will advocate for stronger tenant protections for renters who are defined as being the most vulnerable to displacement and you know, that is understanding that you know, on the local level, there's limited things that the city can do to protect tenants and enhance tenant rights, but it speaks to our commitment to advocate for these changes at the state level. So that is that.
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Moving next, which is H2W, I'll read some of the new language that we've added as well. Work with RIPTA to ensure affordable housing is developed along new transit corridors. And that basically is to, you know, ensure that the city is supporting high density developments along the transit corridors because that makes the most sense. Moving from H2, so also in the housing chapter, we've added language to objective H3 regarding special needs housing. And in that language, let me find this here.
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So we want to ensure that all city policies addressing homelessness and homelessness encampments on public property follow the guidelines outlined by the US Interagency Council on Homelessness. So we actually have spoke publicly on some of our committees on the council side, but the administration spoke to those being the guidelines that we do follow when we're dealing with our unhoused folks in the city. So we wanna enshrine that into this ordinance to bind us in that way moving forward.
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Excuse me a second, Aaron. Yes. Can everybody hear in the back? Is that okay? Now?
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Please.
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Alright.
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Can
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you hear me now? Alright. Thank you.
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Thank you.
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No problem. So, that was H3J. Moving along to H3K, we've added language to formally sanction temporary homeless encampments in non residential areas to improve safety and public health of unhoused residents. And, this is just support for, you know, future, you know, ordinance and policy considerations for the city moving forward to, you know, potentially, you know, set up a scenario where we can have, you know, recognized and permitted temporary encampments to, you know, in places where we can understand that folks are safe as they can be. Know, some of the problems and issues with encampments, at least what has been publicly commented on, is that, you know, ambulances and emergency services do not know where folks are and they can't get there and this is one way to approach and tackle that issue.
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Moving along. So, in mobility, in the mobility chapter, let's see, we've actually So, in objective M1, in the strategy N, we actually added language and it's very simple. So, in M1K, we are encouraging large employers and institutions to offer subsidized transit passes. We've added language that would hold the city to those same standards officially so that we can offer City of Providence employees subsidized transit passes as well. So, that is that.
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Then next up, in the last, you know, meeting, we officially struck out the language speaking to RIPTA in just the language regarding the transfer hub, the hub in Kennedy Plaza. Let's see. So, that one had been decided. So, moving along, also in the mobility chapter, we added some of the following language here. Let's see.
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So, in terms of like gas stations, so M five k, we've added stronger language instead of discouraging the development. We've added the language prohibit the development of new gas stations within the city limits while prioritizing the development of electric vehicle charging stations. And that, you know, lines us up with all of our climate goals and lines us up with the city's climate justice plan. That's that. Next, moving along in the same chapter and section, m five two.
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When speaking to the overnight parking program, we just added some language and I'll read it out here. Improve overnight parking permit program to increase participation by evaluating the permit cost for vehicles registered in Providence, vehicles registered in Rhode Island and vehicles that are out of state. This supports the analysis of the cost prohibitions that some of the residents are actually feeling when trying to purchase these permits, understanding that the city is trying to expand the program. So, that supports there. So, then moving along, in the land use chapter, we made the following additions to objective LU two regarding direct growth.
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So, one of the things that we added and you'll see in LU2B, the prioritizing the elimination of parking minimums where possible. And this simply, you know, allows the city through the city plan commissioner or whatever body to actually make a case by case determination on, you know, parking requirements per development. That's the policy behind that. Let's see. And So, moving along also in the land use chapter in LU3K, we do have language regarding inclusionary zoning that I will mention here.
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Let's see, so this is the language that's been added. Adopt inclusionary zoning measures that are calibrated with tax and subsidy policy changes to enhance development feasibility. So, that had been added and then I will continue to move along. So, one of the biggest pieces that are in here and it's also in the land use chapter under the chapter, you know, how do we grow when we're talking about business industrial and the waterfront port subsections. We actually So, you know, when it comes to the Port Of Providence, there are actually only two, you know, designated zoning areas that encompasses the whole area and that is M2 which is the General Industrial District and then we have W3 which is Port Maritime Industrial District.
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So, what we did, obviously, you know, the Conservation Law Foundation came before this body and testified to a multitude of uses that they would like to be prohibited from getting started moving forward and you know, in both sections, we actually just add language speaking specifically to those 24 different uses. And, I won't go through each 20 each of the 24, but obviously they are very much related to the, you know, fossil fuel industry and a lot of, you know, things that are just, you know, bad for the environment and bad for climate overall. And again, this is a major change that just lines up with a lot of the commitments that the city has already made, especially our climate justice plan. So, continuing to move along, and I promise it won't be too much longer, in the land use chapter, we made the following amendments to objective LU seven regarding institutional growth and the preservation of neighborhoods. So, I'll read.
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So, we would in LU seven f, we would like to require colleges and universities to anonymously track and report on off campus student housing to ensure accountability in managing student behavior as well as identifying and addressing inappropriate conduct of students living off campus. And, you know, for privacy reasons, obviously, we're not gonna ask, you know, colleges and universities to tell us the names of students and where they're living, but from a public safety perspective, it is good for the city to know where the concentrations of student housing is. And, you know, this is nothing new. There are multiple cities that, you know, actually have ordinances such as this on the books and the closest is Boston which does the same. So, that is that.
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So, moving along also in the land use chapter in LU nine relating to design and new development, what I'll actually do so we worked with the planning department on this language and it is for design standards. So, LU nine C. I was just reading in its entirety. Strengthen design regulations in residential and neighborhood areas to promote a high quality built environment while ensuring new design regulations do not unnecessarily increase the cost of development or make the development review process less efficient or unpredictable. And then within that language, also understand that one of the things that we certainly never want to burden the slowdown is the development of affordable housing in the city.
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So, moving on to LU9F, establish an ad hoc committee to advise on the creation of design regulations. The committee should include developers, architects and designers and community stakeholders. So, this you know simply just leverages the you know community architects and design, you know, folks with design background to be involved in this process. So, the folks who do have the most expertise, they certainly should be at the table here. And then, the last piece there, LU nine conducts staff in board level design review processes to ensure compliance with new design regulations And we see this as, you know, allowing the city and city staff to have somewhat of authority on quality control in the direction that they're going.
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So moving along also in the land use chapter, LU eleven related to housing, I actually already spoke to some of this language about inclusionary zoning but we actually used this same language and we placed it into multiple areas where it was relevant but I'll just read it one more time. Adopt inclusionary zoning measures that are calibrated with the tax and subsidy policy changes to enhance development feasibility. So, that is laced in, I believe, two or three different locations across the plan. So, let's see here. Alright.
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Moving along in the land use chapter, LU 12 here. Mhmm. Go to e now. Okay. Yep.
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E, new language hand. I'll read this through here. Encourage the use of non auto transportation options through land use controls and transportation demand management incentives including prioritizing bike lanes and infrastructure for safe pedestrian access via high quality sidewalks and protected lanes. And this aligns us with, you know, the city's commitment to being a vision zero city, you know. It's a very important policy shift and this happened, you know, earlier in the year, but this aligns us along those goals.
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So, then LU12F also added, and I think this is the last one we have here, so work with RIPTA to build out appropriate locations for transit infrastructure including current work to expand and build out the R Line. And, you know, this again just ensures that the city we're working collaboratively with RIPTA in understanding their long term plans so that we are prioritizing, you know, high density projects, you know, across their transit lines and their corridors. So again, those are the major changes in addition to what Bob brought up regarding the map change request. So with that said, Chairman, I think that summarizes the major changes that are proposed before us now.
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Chairman, if I could just add a couple of things. Sure. Good evening. Jim Rose, Chief of Staff for the council. Really appreciate mister Eastergardner's overview here.
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Just wanna point out a a few things process wise. So first of all, as was mentioned, all council's proposed amendments are up live on the city council's website right on the home page. The full red lined version of the ordinance is up there for the public to to look and see. And I also wanna point out that while there may be limited substitutions this evening, the the the vast majority, at least the bulk of this amendment package will be introduced formally next Wednesday at a public hearing at 05:30 in this room. So there will be a full week in addition to testimony tonight and testimony as well next Wednesday evening for folks to review and comment on any additional council changes that have come from all 15 members in collaboration with city staff and and closely with their communities.