Providence — The Providence City Council Ordinance Committee on Nov. 13 held a public hearing on a proposed ordinance that would add a $300 annual student impact fee to properties occupied exclusively by students. Council members heard more than a dozen speakers representing neighborhood associations, landlords, lawyers and student tenants; the committee did not take a vote.

Councilwoman Shelly Peterson, who is sponsoring the ordinance, told the committee the fee is intended to hold landlords and developers accountable for neighborhood costs tied to concentrated student housing. "This fee applies to the landlord, not the students. It's $300 a year," Peterson said, and she said the proposal would also require data collection from colleges and direct revenues to a home repair fund rather than the general fund.

Neighborhood residents and association leaders urged the council to act. "We've reported 89 student incidents to Brown, called Providence Police 43 times and reported 48 incidents on the Providence 311 system since May 2022," said Dexter Strong of College Hill, who described repeated backyard parties and noise that neighbors say enforcement has failed to stop. Nina Markov, president of the College Hill Neighborhood Association, called investor-owned mini‑dorm conversions a commercial enterprise that is displacing working families and increasing fire-safety and quality-of-life risks.

Landlords and student-tenant speakers pushed back. John Gowery, an attorney representing landlord Walter Brownhut, argued the fee functions as a tax rather than a narrowly tailored impact fee and cited prior state-level action and court limits on municipal impact fees: "As proposed… the so-called student impact fee directed at owners of property who lease to students is in fact a tax," he said, warning the council the General Assembly or courts could reject such a measure. Property operators including Shannon Rosso, operations manager for the 02908 Club, said their companies already pay for police details and taxes and that any new charge will be passed to tenants.

Several students and tenants testified that a landlord-targeted fee will nonetheless be borne by students. "An additional flat fee on top of these existing burdens raises serious concerns about fairness and equity," said Kevin Keeveny, a Providence College senior. Multiple speakers asked how the $300 figure was calculated and whether the charge would go directly to police, sanitation, or other identifiable services.

Councilman Royas and other members noted practical and legal limits. Royas said an existing pilot payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes (PILOT) agreement with one or more colleges may prohibit charging the institutions fees or altering zoning in ways that would breach that agreement, and he described the ordinance as a tool to discourage developers who target neighborhoods for student‑only housing.

Speakers presented several quantitative details during testimony: proponents cited neighborhood incident and call counts and Brown University enrollment growth figures; opponents cited past legislative history and warned of state preemption. Peterson described penalties for noncompliance administered by the city's Department of Inspection and Standards (DIS), including fines of up to $500 per day.

The committee received letters submitted both for and against the measure and encouraged further written comment. The public hearing was closed without a vote; the council said it will review submitted materials and continue its consideration at a later date.