A representative from U.S. Sen. Jack Reed’s office and a student from Brown University took a brief tour of King Street Commons apartments and Sheridan Small Homes in Providence on Tuesday, August 31, 2021, getting a firsthand glimpse of how ONE|NB has started to turn around the Olneyville neighborhood.
“We answered what the neighborhood wanted for this area,” said Aurélien Alphe, ONE|NB Assistant Director for Real Estate Development and Project Manager for King Street Commons. The project consists of 30 affordable apartments and the renovation of 32 apartments in the Elmwood neighborhood, plus an on-site child care center.
Together, King Street Commons and Sheridan Small Homes represent a nearly $20-million investment in Providence. “It’s quite an investment, but when you see the results, it’s well worth it,” said Dean Harrison, Director of Real Estate for ONE|NB.
Also leading the tour was Brenda Clement, Director from HousingWorks RI. Joining the tour was Suparna S. Reddy, Legislative Counsel for Sen. Reed, and Toby Arment, a Brown University junior majoring in urban studies and sociology.
“It’s nice to see the way this part of the city is coming up,” Arment said after the tour. “I think it’s something that a lot of Brown students don’t have experience with.”
The King Street project, spread over 2.5 acres, is expected to be completed this summer. On Tuesday, workers also were busy on a stormwater recharge system located next to the child care center, and the few remaining apartment units are near completion, Alphe said.
The tour also included a glimpse of Sheridan Small Homes, a “passive-house certified” homeownership development, which means it’s an ultra low-energy use home. The five homes will be sold to qualified households earning between 80% and 120% of the area median income. ONE|NB hopes to sell all by the end of December, Harrison said. Two of the homes have sold, with the last three expected to be completed by the end of September. The two-bedroom uniquely designed condos are located along the Fred Lippitt bike path.
