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Stamp Egg Farms in Johnston embodies the small business spirit
Visit one of Rhode Island’s last remaining egg farms.
JOHNSTON – Mayor Joseph Polisena Jr. is threatening to challenge the constitutionality of Rhode Island’s three-decade old affordable housing law − and recent efforts to turbocharge it − in order to thwart a proposed 252-unit apartment complex off George Waterman Road.
“If you insist on moving forward with the currently proposed project, I will use all the power of government that I have to stop it,” Polisena wrote in a statement after the project’s developer brought it before the town Planning Board Tuesday night.
“If you think you’ll breeze through the newly created Land Use calendar in Superior Court, I will be forced to challenge the constitutionality of the low-to-moderate-income housing law itself to grind this project to a halt while the courts deliberate on the statute’s constitutionality,” he went on.
The developer, Waterman Chenango LLC, is proposing to build the apartment complex using the state’s Low and Moderate Income Housing Act, which limits the ability of towns to block affordable housing projects if less than 10% of their residences qualify as affordable.
As it stands 7.9% of Johnston homes qualify as affordable, giving Waterman Chenango the option of applying for a streamlined “comprehensive permit” instead of the typical Johnston planning and permitting process. (If built the project is estimated to take Johnston over the 10% threshold.)
To combat an acute affordable housing shortage, in 2023 the General Assembly changed the Low and Moderate Housing Act to allow developments that are entirely income restricted to include 12 additional units per acre than they would normally be allowed to under local zoning. The change was part of House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi’s housing affordability package.
In the case of the 31-acre George Waterman Road property, this nets out to 255 units, according to Waterman Chenango.
While many political leaders across the state and country have adopted pro-development positions in response to soaring home costs, Polisena is among the Rhode Island elected officials to maintain a “single-family only” approach to land use and opposition to residential density.
In neither his Tuesday letter or an interview with The Journal Wednesday, did Polisena lay out a legal case for why the state’s affordable housing law, which has stood since 1991, might be unconstitutional.
“I would like not to do it, but if it is a mean to challenge this project, if it’s our only opportunity to do so, I will do it,” Polisena said Wednesday when asked whether a constitutional challenge was serious or a bargaining move. “And I’m aware that that statute’s inception was 1991, but there have been significant changes over the past couple of years … So just because it hasn’t been challenged doesn’t mean that it’s not ripe to be challenged now.”
Neighbors of the would-be apartment complex on Tuesday night railed against the proposal backed up by Planning Board members including Robert Pingitore, who according to WJAR-TV said it would be the “future Chad Brown of Johnston,” referring to a Providence public housing development.
On Wednesday Providence City Councilman Justin Roias called Pingitore’s comments “blatantly racist” and a “cheap shot dripping with prejudice.”
“If he’s so terrified of affordable housing, I invite him to visit Chad Brown and meet its residents − the parents juggling jobs, the kids chasing dreams, the neighbors looking out for each other,” Roias wrote in a statement distributed by the City Council. “Spoiler alert: They’re not the bogeyman he’s conjured up.”
Asked about Polisena’s legal warnings Wednesday, Shekarchi said he’s aware some people do not like the affordable housing law and are welcome to go after it in court but “to the best of my knowledge it has been good law since 1991.”
Another layer to the housing debate: Johnston’s town planner is Tom Deller, who chairs a House land use study commission that has worked on several of the pro-development bills in Shekarchi’s housing packages.
Preliminary plans for the George Waterman Road development show five rectangular apartment building arranged at the end of a driveway off the street and around a 255-space surface parking lot.
Waterman Chenango was founded by Salvatore Compagnone of Providence, who died early this year. The current applicant on planning documents is Lucille Santoro.
No votes were taken and the developer is expected to return to the board with more detailed plans in the spring.
Objections to the George Waterman Road proposal from Johnston residents and officials focus on the familiar concerns of increased traffic, crime and the cost of educating new school-aged residents who live there.
Polisena said he would eagerly support the construction of new owner-occupied, single-family homes at the Waterman Chenango site, but not rental apartments, which he does not consider reflective of the “American Dream.”
Asked how low or middle income Rhode Islanders can afford a newly built zoning compliant single-family home, which might cost $600,000, Polisena said he would also potentially entertain attached condominiums for a lower price point.
Kelley Morris Salvatore, the attorney representing Waterman Chenango had this response to Polisena Wednesday:
“It is disappointing that the town appears to be judging the proposal without having all of the information needed to make an informed decision. My client is proposing a development for much-needed housing in Rhode Island, where state law provides a clear formula for increased density where affordable housing is proposed. We are confident that our formal proposal will meet all of the legal standards required for the development. “
Local News
A Rhode Island husband and wife in their 50s were identified as the two people killed in a Swansea car crash Friday night.
Carlolyn Carcasi, 54, and James Carcasi, 53, of Bristol, Rhode Island, were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a press release Monday.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 6 in Swansea, Quinn’s office said.
Police in Cranston, Rhode Island identified the driver who allegedly hit the couple as Demitri Sousa, 28. Sousa allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island nearly four hours before the crash, Cranston police said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said previously.
The couple was driving southbound on Route 136 when the Sousa crashed into the side of a Subaru Ascent. Both cars had “catastrophic damage,” and the Subaru was engulfed in flames, Swansea fire and police officials said.
Both occupants of the Subaru were declared dead at the scene, Swansea officials said.
Sousa was transported to a local hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries. He is expected to live and will be held in Cranston police custody until he is medically cleared, police said Sunday.
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CRANSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday.
The event was held at the Cranston Public Library at 9 a.m.
Reed and other leaders of WFRI hosted a panel discussion with women leaders in environmental and agricultural advocacy, education, community resilience, housing, finance, workforce development, and more, officials said.
Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday. (WJAR)
“Women have played a critical role in this process, most often without any recognition,” Reed said. “Today’s panel brings together an extraordinary group of women who are addressing the challenged of sustainability from various angles and I want to thank you all for your great efforts.”
The panelists highlighted their experiences, shared insights and tips on lifting up women’s voices, provided strategies for sparking change and more.
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According to officials, some of the panelists included Executive Director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council Nessa Richman, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rhode Island College Kim Bright, Newport Housing Authority Executive Director Rhonda Mitchell and more.
Local News
A Seekonk man is accused of murder after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island before causing a car crash in Swansea that killed two people last week, police said.
Demitri Sousa, 28, is charged with murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, the Cranston Police Department said.
The shooting occurred Thursday night in Cranston, police said in a press release.
That night, Sousa allegedly arrived at the Cranston home of Javon Lawson, 35. Sousa began banging on the side door of the home, police said.
When Lawson approached the door, he was hit by gunfire from outside, police said.
First responders transported Lawson to the Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cranston police said.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, the motive is believed to be a dispute between the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance. Detectives are continuing this investigation to gain more insight, as well as to collect and analyze evidence,” Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of Cranston police, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Neighbors gave police video footage that “showed a male subject wearing dark clothing and a mask walking toward the residence moments before the shooting and fleeing immediately afterward,” Winquist said.
The suspect was also seen running to a white Infiniti sedan which then drove off, the Cranston police chief said.
Shortly after the shooting, a license plate reader captured the vehicle driving southbound on Route 10, and then later in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The sedan’s license plate was registered in Sousa’s name, Winquist said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said.
Just moments later, Sousa allegedly “crashed into the side of another vehicle, a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136,” Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Fire Chief Eric Hajder said in a joint press release.
Both vehicles had “catastrophic damage,” and the struck car was engulfed in flames, the Swansea officials said.
The driver and passenger of the hit car — a man and a woman — were declared dead at the scene, they said.
“Swansea Police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle. However, Swansea Police were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash,” the Swansea chiefs wrote. Swansea official have not announced charges related to the fatal crash.
Sousa had been driving the Infiniti and appeared to be suffering from serious injuries, Winquist said. Inside the car, police found a pistol and “additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered” from Sousa at Rhode Island Hospital, Winquist said.
Police arrested Sousa and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital. Sousa is expected to survive, Winquist said. Sousa will be held in Cranston police custody until he is conscious and medically cleared, Winquist said.
“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Winquist said.
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