Good evening. My name is Helen Anthony. I am chair of the committee on finance. I'm calling to order our public hearing on Tuesday, 12/03/2024 at 05:38. Madam Clerk.
Oh, yes. I I would like to recognize my committee members. We have counselor Taylor. We have counselor Sanchez. We have counselor Graves.
Those are the committee members. We're full full tonight, full attendance, and we also have Councilor Mary Kay Harris is with us this evening. Thank you so much. We have the city solicitor, Jeff Dana, who is with us. Thank you very much and with that, I think we have our wonderful clerks, Donna Pelision and Lauren Gutierrez.
So thank you for all attending. And with that, I'll have the clerk read item number one.
An ordinance establishing a tax stabilization agreement for 381 Wickenden Street. Wonderful. And who do we have here to present this, ordinance? Yes. How are you?
Two parts to the there we go. Two parts to my presentation this evening. One generically about TSAs and and Providence's tax rates. And then secondarily, I do have one for project. As to each project, I do have the owner available as well.
And I'm sorry. Just to clarify, you mean each project, meaning agenda item, you're gonna represent on one, two, and three?
That's correct, madam chair.
Okay. And just just for brevity Yes. Are these documents the same documents you have produced with other TSAs that you have had Yes. Before us? Anything new?
The correction on the tax rate in Boston. My initial submission about that. So my initial submission, I was under the impression that the tax rate in Boston was, a different threshold per thousand because I was under the impression that Boston tax apartments commercial the same way that we do. I have since learned that they do not. So Boston's tax rate for apartments is $11 per thousand.
So I believe in previous presentations, described how province's tax rate was 60% higher than Boston's. That is incorrect. It is 325% higher. Also think there's a focusing on these numbers for the sake of brevity, the on the Picasset application, the total taxes due as projected within the fiscal note
Sorry. Sorry, mister Conley. I'm just gonna so if we're I don't think it's proper for us to discuss them all together. You're you're presenting on 381 Wickenden. I mean, if you want to make this reference to 241 Cassette, I would wait until we're on that agenda item.
Would that be okay with you?
That's fine, madam chair. Alright. Thank you. Specific to the, application at 381 Wickenham, this is a five year TSA. The, tax payments, never decrease underneath the new law.
Again, for the sake of brevity, won't go into detail the distinction between those laws. This committee is well aware. The increase in taxes jumps from 15,000 to 65,000 total. By the time you're in year two, the increase in taxes have already paid for any sort of reduction associated with the step up and increase in payments at the Wickenham property. This Wickenham property, for those in the neighborhood that are familiar, was at one point in time, it was a a methadone clinic that ended up in a federal investigation.
I believe an individual may actually have been found guilty of fraud related to that operation. So this is an investment in a community which is curing a building that has had a sort of challenging past, to say the least. The applicant is the same gentleman affiliated with the one hundred sixty one Gaino. You will hear later, but the same applicant that you heard present in detail on one hundred sixty five Gaino. And as a result of our previous experiences there, his contractors are actually enrolling in the apprenticeship program, although that would not be a requirement on this specific project.
He uses the same crews across all of his projects. So, there's no apprenticeship requirement, but we do anticipate, a strong level of apprenticeship participation regardless. As for the specifics of this project, I do have the architect, Mark Rapp, here as well as the owner if there's any specific questions or anything you want us to deal with. But focusing on the financials, it's an increase year over year. And by the time you're in year two, the increase is already paid for the reduction over the cost cost of all five years.
And I suppose without delving back into what is repetitive presentation, that will be it on that item.
Thank you very much. We would love to hear unless I would just like to recognize that we have Pro Tem Picciardo who has joined us. I don't know if anyone has any questions for Attorney Connolly, or maybe what we should do is hear from whoever you would like to produce so that they can talk about the specifics of the project. Sure. Okay.
Madam Chair, I have with me this evening, Bahman Jalili, the owner and developer and the principal architect, Mark Rapp. Think for our purposes, maybe Mark, if you could just give us a brief description of what that building is. Okay. It's a relatively modest
If you can lean right into that mic, and I'm not sure it's on. Please push the on button.
There we go. Better. Thank you.
It's a four story wood frame structure. It has fourteen one bedroom apartments and one commercial space at ground level, slab on grade. And we designed it in accordance with the province plan department rules and regulations and adjusted the design accordingly. Bay windows facing the street, some porches in the back, rear yard, and hopefully provides adequate housing for people on Wickman Street while maintaining the character of the street. The aesthetics, Hardy plank siding, corner boards, cornice, all go within the character.
So, we're trying to infill this building into the rest of Wickman Street. So, that was the goal. May I just ask because since since you brought it up, the infill of the building, are you going to, is it going to be compatible with the other buildings around it? When you say infill, I'm just wondering how it is visually and it's not a requirement. I'm just asking.
Yeah, we we had to match the building on the corner of Hope And Wicked in which we did a couple years ago, height wise, aesthetically. The fenestration, the detailing, the planning requirements for base, middle, and top defining the base of the building, defining the capital building. We've had to do all of that. So, it's not just a blank slate. So, yes.
And do you have any visuals for us
to see? I I was on Block Island there. I apologize. I wasn't available. It's okay.
It's alright. Any other testimony before I open it up for questions? And also, I think we could talk about rent. What is the plan for what you will be charging for your one bedroom apartments?
So for the one bedroom, I'll be getting just around $1,900.2000 dollars a month for rent. Say it one more time, please. Dollars 1,900 to $2,000 a month for rent. And there is a commercial space too, which that one is going to be about $2,000 a month for rent. And what is the square footage approximately on the one bedrooms?
The one bedroom are about five fifty, and the commercial is 600. Okay. Alright. I'm going to open it up to committee members. Who has a question?
Yes. Councilor Anderbaugh. Just a quick question. What is in that space now?
The methadone clinic is a commercial, on the 1st Floor and two apartments on top, which we've taken that building down actually shortly. Are there people living in the apartments right now? No, they've been vacant for a couple of years. Okay. Thank you.
Other questions? Yes. We need to get you a mic. I'm sorry, pro tem. There you go.
Thank you, madam chair. Just a couple of questions. One is, you indicated, it's just one bedroom. All of them all
the units are one bedroom? Yeah. They're all
And the rents are between 1,300 to 2,000?
1,900 to 2,000. 1,900? Yeah. 1,900.
100. And one bedroom. Are there any units deemed affordable? No, they're not. None at all?
Just a market rate? Yes, market rate. Yes. All right. And then the other is in terms of getting into a TSA, you're also employing
apprentices and and people in the city of Providence. Yeah. The project is a small it doesn't require us to do it, but I use the same crude that I'm using on another project, which they already enrolled on a program, so I'll be using them. Yeah. And and you Even though that is not required to do, yeah.
Though it's not required to do? Correct. Yeah. For that area or that's just a TSA?
For that size of project.
Because it's too small? It's too small. Yeah.
And the number of year is like a five year, not a ten year. You
know. Okay. Great. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, fellows, for being here today. Would this project be viable if two out of the 14 units were deemed 80% AMI? I don't know if
