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• ProJo: June Speakman is sworn in to the R.I. House of Representatives

  By Journal Staff Writer

  
  

  Posted: Mar 13, 2019 at 5:47 PM

  Updated: Mar 13, 2019 at 6:51 PM

  Rep. June S. Speakman, a Democrat representing District 68 in Warren and Bristol, is formally sworn in to the House of Representatives Wednesday by Attorney General Peter F. Neronha. Speakman, a professor at Roger Williams University, was elected March 5 in a special election. 

  To view the complete article, visit Providence Journal 

  Courtesy of Providence Journal 
  

• The Valley Breeze: Council hears concerns on neighborhood stabilization district

  By ETHAN SHOREY, Valley Breeze Managing Editor

  PAWTUCKET – Some of those who turned out last week for a hearing on a new district designed to prevent forcing residents out due to higher housing costs said the proposal doesn’t go far enough to protect those who live here.

  Planning Director Sue Mara told the council that the proposed Neighborhood Stabilization Overlay District ordinance for the area around a coming new commuter rail station at 258 Pine St. seeks to prevent displacement of current residents while promoting investment in new affordable housing, creating a healthy mix of incomes.

  All in attendance at the Sept. 25 hearing seemed to agree that no one wants to see Pawtucket residents priced out of the area and Boston commuters take their place.

  To view the complete article, visit The Valley Breeze

  Courtesy of The Valley Breeze

• PBN: Five Questions With June Speakman

  By Mary MacDonald- June 14, 2019 1:18 am

  1. You decided to seek office while working at Roger Williams University. How did that affect you as a professor and how are you now handling the dual roles? The opportunity to run came up due to an unexpected resignation. Thankfully, my campaign began during winter break, and my spring course schedule was such that, for the most part, my teaching schedule and my legislative schedule did not conflict. And … I was teaching a course on state and local government, which offered nice reinforcement to my General Assembly work, and great stories in the classroom.

  2. You were often interviewed by media as a political science professor. How is the reality of the Statehouse meshing with your understanding before the election? While the academic understanding of state politics does teach us a lot about what goes on in a state legislature, the finer points of the policy-making process, and the importance of personal relationships, cannot be accurately captured by an academic researcher.

  To read the complete article, visit Providence Business News 

  Courtesy of Providence Business News 

• The Valley Breeze: Affordable housing district nixed for the time being

  By ETHAN SHOREY, Valley Breeze Managing Editor

  PAWTUCKET – Facing overwhelming opposition to a plan to boost affordable housing in the area of a coming new commuter rail station, the City Council last week postponed action on the initiative indefinitely.

  Of particular concern to a number of residents within the proposed incentive zone, where developers would be rewarded for developing affordable housing, were the ideas that this area is already overcrowded and that adding affordable housing would diminish home values.

  Councilor Terry Mercer, who headed up a number of committee meetings in crafting the proposed Neighborhood Overlay Stabilization District over the past few months, said he and others thought this would work for the neighborhood, and moving forward with it was following the lead of district councilors Meghan Kallman and Tim Rudd.

  To view the complete article, visit The Valley Breeze

  Courtesy of The Valley Breeze 

• Times-Gazette: Massive housing plan proposed for East Warren

  Posted Tuesday, April 28, 2020 10:12 am

   By Ted Hayes

   An LLC with a troubled history in Warren is proposing a large housing project just east of the Kickemuit River, a stone’s throw south of Frerichs Farm, and received a not-so-warm welcome during a live-streamed meeting of the Warren Planning Commission Monday evening.

   An attorney for Last Ever Realty LLC, which is controlled by the owner of Biszko Contracting in Fall River, introduced “Settler’s Green,” a large housing project that would include a dozen single-family homes and two large apartment buildings. Those buildings, four stories tall each, would house a total of 108 apartment units, with space around them for 212 cars.

   The project is being proposed under the Rhode Island Low And Moderate Income Housing Act, which allows developers to take advantage of tax credits and streamlined local approval processes as long as they designate 25 percent of the units for low to moderate income families. 

   To view the complete article, visit Times-Gazette

   Courtesy of Times-Gazette

• Valley Breeze: Draft law on affordable housing offers incentives

  7/16/2019

  By ETHAN SHOREY Valley Breeze Managing Editor

  PAWTUCKET – Preliminary drafts of the city’s new affordable housing ordinance do not include a mandate for a minimum of 10 percent affordable units within the Conant Thread district surrounding a coming new train station, says Councilor Terry Mercer.

  Mercer told The Breeze significant progress has been made on what has been a controversial issue and he expects an ordinance to be ready to send to the full council by its first meeting in August. There are a number of kinks to still work out during one more planned workshop, he said.

  The latest proposal addresses Councilor Meghan Kallman’s particular concerns about the “secondary creep” of gentrification, or forcing out of residents due to higher rents, in neighborhoods abutting the train station district, said Mercer.

  The councilman said there will be a quarter-mile overlay district running outside the Conant Thread district, creating incentives to add affordable units.

  City Planner Sue Mara said that district is proposed as the “Neighborhood Stabilization District,” which would accomplish two things:

  • Create an overlay zone where projects that include affordable housing would receive density increases as well as some dimensional flexibility.

  • And allow in-law apartments by right for single-family and two-family homes.

  To view the complete article, visit The Valley Breeze 

  Courtesy of The Valley Breeze