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Committee hears petition to abandon Falmouth Street; planning staff calls it a "paper street"
Summary
At a Dec. 1 Providence public hearing, planning staff described Falmouth Street as an undeveloped 'paper street' and the City Plan Commission recommended abandonment with conditions; petitioners said abutters agree but the tax assessor said a Providence-only survey is needed for valuation.
A Providence City Committee of Public Works public hearing on Dec. 1 considered a petition by residents including Patricia M. Vega and Christopher J. Armstrong to abandon Falmouth Street. Robert Azar, deputy director of the Department of Planning and Development, told the committee the street is an undeveloped “paper street” that appears on maps but is not paved and “is not providing access to any property.”
The City Plan Commission reviewed the petition and recommended approval subject to conditions: the abutters must agree on and show an abandonment and subdivision plan on a survey; the petitioner must apply for an administrative subdivision to merge the abandoned portion with abutting properties; the abandonment would apply only to the portion within Providence (not North Providence); and petitioners must grant any necessary easements for access, utilities and maintenance.
George Luff, speaking for the petitioners, presented photographs showing the strip is largely wooded with a small paved section and said the abutters “are in agreement.” He said utilities already exist along the strip and that petitioners do not intend to hardscape the property, but instead would subdivide and assign portions of the land to adjacent owners.
A representative of the tax assessor’s office told the committee the assessor had not completed a valuation because earlier materials referenced abandonment of the entire lot and the office needed a Providence-only square-footage delineation to set a value. The assessor asked for a clearer survey showing which portion lies inside Providence and which lies in North Providence before assigning a valuation.
The committee asked petitioner and staff to provide the Providence-specific survey information requested by the assessor before proceeding. No formal vote or action was taken at the hearing; staff and the petitioner agreed to follow up with the requested survey and subdivision details.
