Rhode Island

Apartment construction booming across US. Why not RI? | Opinion

Published

2 years ago

February 11, 2024

Press Room

Apartment construction booming across US. Why not RI? | Opinion

Cliff Wood
| Guest columnist

Cliff Wood is the executive director of The Providence Foundation.

You might not realize it when driving through Providence, but apartment construction is booming throughout the United States. More units will become available in 2023 than in any year since the early 1970s. Cities ranging from Austin to Charlotte to Nashville have seen inventory growth as high as 90%. But there aren’t many cranes over our capital city. By at least one measure, the Ocean State ranks last in the nation. Why?

The problem isn’t a lack of demand. People want to live here — something that cannot be said for many other places across the country. So why haven’t developers erected more homes in Rhode Island, particularly in the places where demand is greatest, like downtown Providence? That question could elicit a range of answers, but the reality comes down to two — one economic and the other strategic.

More: Rhode Island’s housing crisis is at a breaking point. How did we get here?

The economic challenge revolves around the return a developer gets on any proposed project. Building materials are just as expensive here as they are in Boston, or on Cape Cod — concrete, lumber and the like. The cost of labor is similar as well. But the rents a developer can charge in Providence are a fraction of what he or she will get after constructing the very same unit in, say, Cambridge or Newton, which brings us to the strategic reason development is so often thwarted in Rhode Island: The Ocean State too often neglects to employ the tools that can help to level the playing field to attract investment.

Rents aren’t the only thing that bear on whether a developer chooses to add to a state’s housing supply. Tax burdens, bureaucratic rigmarole and market uncertainty also play a role. If Rhode Island could best Massachusetts on those fronts, developers would surely migrate here. But far from using these tools to level the playing field, Rhode Island is widening the gulf, incenting developers to go elsewhere and leaving renters here to pay the rising rents born from the reality that we don’t have enough housing.

Consider what’s happening in Boston and Providence today. Boston’s mayor is proposing a program that would allow developers who convert commercial buildings into apartments a 75% reduction on their property taxes — so much that, in one example, a building now paying nearly $250,000 in taxes each year would see its bill to the city drop to less than $30,000. Meanwhile, Providence’s City Council is bringing a lawsuit so that the city can renege on a tax agreement they already approved with a local developer building workforce housing downtown, increasing rates that had already been ratified by a judge.

More: Warren cut the density of a proposed housing project by 38%. Now the town wants to undo that

Put simply, the two capital cities are sending vastly different messages to builders equipped to erect more housing at a time when market conditions already favor Boston. And that’s a shame because Providence can get a lot of development done when it works cooperatively with developers. The successful and popular Farm Fresh project would not have been built if the state and city had refused to reduce the tax burden on the underlying lots.

None of these projects would have been possible without partnership between the public and private sectors — meaning financial incentives for those willing to invest in the Ocean State. But if the government treats builders as pariahs, the Ocean State will lag. When growing demand isn’t met with growing supply, rents rise for ordinary families.

It’s up to Rhode Island’s leaders to find common ground that works for the greater good.

Source link

Click to comment

Rhode Island

Three stabbed at crowded Rhode Island beach as hundreds of teens pack area, police say

Published

4 hours ago

May 20, 2026

Press Room

Three stabbed at crowded Rhode Island beach as hundreds of teens pack area, police say

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Three people were stabbed on a Rhode Island beach Tuesday as hundreds of teenagers packed the area, forcing beachgoers to flee.

The victims were found at Narragansett Town Beach after police officers responded to the crowded scene amid reports of violence. The three unidentified individuals sustained minor stab wounds and were taken to a local hospital for treatment, Narragansett Police said.

WATCH: ROWDY TEENAGERS SWARM DC NAVY YARD IN WATERFRONT TAKEOVER DESPITE POLICE JUVENILE CURFEW ZONE

Three people were stabbed Tuesday as hundreds of beachgoers packed Narragansett Town Beach in Rhode Island, police said. (Narragansett Police Department)

No suspects have been identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with the stabbings.

However, several other disturbances broke out as hundreds of people on the beach attempted to leave simultaneously, officials noted. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the scene.

OUT-OF-CONTROL TEEN MOB IN DC REVEALS FAILURE OF BLUE CITY SOFT-ON-CRIME POLICIES

Two unidentified adults were arrested and charged with simple assault, resisting arrest, and obstruction of justice. Police noted these arrests did not appear to be related to the stabbings.

The incident came amid a wave of teen violence across the country. Over the weekend, teenagers in Washington, D.C., got into a chaotic brawl inside a Chipotle restaurant. About eight teens could be seen throwing punches and hurling restaurant furniture at one another as innocent bystanders huddled for safety in a corner of the establishment.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

All of the suspects were dressed head-to-toe in black, with some wearing hoods and masks.

Source link

Rhode Island

12 News/Emerson Poll: Foulkes leads McKee by double-digits in RI gov primary

Published

16 hours ago

May 19, 2026

Press Room

12 News/Emerson Poll: Foulkes leads McKee by double-digits in RI gov primary

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Helena Foulkes has opened up a 20-point lead over incumbent Dan McKee in the Democratic primary for governor, with just three months left before the first ballots are cast, an exclusive 12 News/Emerson College poll released Tuesday shows.

The survey of 565 likely Democratic primary voters finds Foulkes at 40% and McKee at 20%, with 37% undecided and 3% saying they support someone else. The 12 News/Emerson poll is the third survey in the last two months showing McKee down by double-digits.

“The race for governor hasn’t moved in six months,” 12 News political analyst Joe Fleming said. “Helena Foulkes is still holding a commanding lead. McKee has done nothing that’s moved the needle to close that gap. And he’s running out of time very quickly.”

McKee — who is seeking to extend his tenure as governor to 10 years — is viewed unfavorably by 60% of all voters and favorably by only 21%. McKee’s numbers are better but still negative among likely primary voters, 50% of whom view him unfavorably. Among registered Democrats only, McKee’s unfavorable rating is 43%.

A key challenge for McKee: he is underwater by 14 points among undecided primary voters, with 26% viewing him favorably, 26% viewing him neutrally, and 40% viewing him unfavorably.

“If you’re being viewed unfavorably by the undecided voters, how are you going to get their votes?” Fleming said. “He’s had the last five or six months as the governor who’s out there all the time to try to move the numbers — the numbers have never moved.”

(Story continues below.)

Foulkes, a former CVS executive who placed a close second to McKee after a late surge in the 2022 primary, remains less of a known quantity to voters despite her lead in the primary. Her numbers among all voters are slightly negative, with 27% viewing her favorably and 29% viewing her unfavorably, but over 40% of voters either view her neutrally or have never heard of her.

Unlike McKee, however, Foulkes is viewed positively by likely primary voters, at 35% favorable and 23% unfavorable, though even among that group 42% express no opinion about her. Her numbers are similar among registered Democrats.

Fleming noted Foulkes has a significant financial advantage to reach voters who haven’t formed an opinion yet, with $3.6 million in cash on hand compared with McKee’s $1.4 million. “She can spend it over the next three and a half months,” he said.

Less than three hours before release of the 12 News/Emerson poll, the McKee campaign announced that it had conducted its own survey last week. But the campaign didn’t reveal whether McKee was behind or ahead, and the governor told 12 News on Tuesday, “I don’t have those numbers.”

McKee’s campaign poll tested a variety of attacks on Foulkes, and his campaign released a memo arguing that the attacks would shift some voters against her. The Foulkes campaign did not immediately respond.

The 12 News/Emerson poll was conducted May 14-16 and surveyed 1,000 likely Rhode Island voters using text-to-web and online panel interviews. The overall credibility interval, similar to a poll’s margin of error, is plus or minus 3 percentage points, rising to 4.1 points for the Democratic primary subset.

McKee, Foulkes both lead November election

Yet the 12 News/Emerson poll also shows that if McKee finds a way to turn around his campaign and defeat Foulkes in the primary, he is in position to win another four years as governor.

Among all 1,000 likely voters surveyed, McKee leads a hypothetical November election matchup with 33%, against 22% each for the Republican nominee and independent Ken Block, while 17% are undecided and 6% are supporting someone else.

(Story continues below.)

Foulkes fares even better in the general election matchup, with 39% support, followed by the Republican nominee at 21% and Block at 19%, with 18% undecided. Two Republicans, Aaron Guckian and Elaine Pelino, are vying for the GOP nomination.

Block, a Barrington businessman who ran for governor as a third-party candidate in 2010 and a Republican candidate in 2014, pulls votes from across the political spectrum. In a race against McKee, Block wins 16% of Republicans, 14% of Democrats and 30% of independents.

“Ken Block is going to divide Republican votes,” Fleming said. “So if he’s dividing the Republican vote, it’s going to be very difficult for a Republican or an independent to win the race over whoever the Democratic nominee is.”

(Story continues below.)

Block is better known than Guckian, who was the 2022 GOP nominee for lieutenant governor. Among all voters, Block is viewed favorably by 19% and unfavorably by 23%, with the rest neutral or unfamiliar. Guckian is viewed favorably by 10% and unfavorably by 15%, but nearly half of voters have never heard of him.

Most voters on the fence in AG primary

The 12 News/Emerson poll also tested the Democratic primary for attorney general, which is an open contest since incumbent Peter Neronha is term-limited.

The race is wide open.

The survey shows former R.I. Cannabis Control Commission chair Kim Ahern and Warwick state Rep. Joe Solomon Jr. tied at 9% each, trailed slightly by former Neronha policy chief Keith Hoffmann and Barrington state Rep. Jason Knight, both of whom are at 5%. But almost three out of four voters — 72% — are undecided.

Fleming said all the candidates need to continue raising money to get their message out to voters.

“What could help in this election is the Democratic Party endorsement,” Fleming said. “A lot of times an endorsement doesn’t mean that much, but right here you have four candidates running, and none of them are well known at all. If you have the party endorsement, that might pick you up 4% or 5% of the vote.”

More results from the poll will be released tonight on 12 News at 10 and 11 p.m.

Ted Nesi (tnesi@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter and 12 News politics/business editor. He co-hosts Newsmakers and writes Nesi’s Notes on Saturdays. Connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, Bluesky and LinkedIn.

Tim White (twhite@wpri.com) is Target 12 managing editor and chief investigative reporter and host of Newsmakers for 12 News. Connect with him on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter and Bluesky.

Alexandra Leslie contributed to this report.

Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.

Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the free WPRI 12+ TV app.

Follow us on social media:

Source link

Rhode Island

RI Philharmonic announces 2026 Summer Pops theme, schedule

Published

1 day ago

May 19, 2026

Press Room

RI Philharmonic announces 2026 Summer Pops theme, schedule

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra on Monday announced the schedule and theme for its Summer Pops program, an annual series of free outdoor concerts featuring well-known songs performed in a classical style.

This year’s show, “Outstanding Overtures,” features beloved introductory tunes from theater, film and classical music.

“There’s something magical about an overture,” said David Beauchesne, executive director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School. “It sets the stage, stirs the imagination, and invites you into a story.”

The program includes overtures ranging from “William Tell” and “The Marriage of Figaro” to “Phantom of the Opera,” “West Side Story,” “Mary Poppins,” and “Wicked.”

“Experiencing these masterpieces performed by a full symphony orchestra in a relaxed, outdoor setting is something truly special,” Beauchesne said. “And best of all, it’s completely free.”