Published April 12, 2024
EAST PROVIDENCE − The construction of 144 income-restricted housing units in East Providence will receive no help from the city after three of five City Council members declared the $40,000-a-year tax reduction was too much for the city to afford.
The 3-2 council majority voted against the proposed tax-stabilization agreement, citing the negative impacts: more people in the community, more children in the schools, and the unfairness of tax breaks for a developer of income-restricted housing as businesses, large and small, suffer from lower revenue because of the Washington Bridge disaster.
The three-building “Center City” project on Taunton Avenue, a collaboration between ONE Neighborhood Builders, Foster Forward, Crossroads Rhode Island and Family Services of Rhode Island, is still moving forward as the developers try to figure out how to either raise another $400,000 or reduce costs.
The current timeline for the project is for construction to start early in 2025 and finish by September 2026. The groups are waiting on funding decisions by RIHousing.
