Providence staff advance design standards, zoning text changes to limit 'boxy' multi‑family buildings

At a Providence City Council committee meeting Wednesday, city planning and zoning staff presented a multi‑part package of design standards and zoning code amendments intended to raise exterior design quality for small‑scale residential buildings, apartments and mixed‑use developments.

Jason Martin, the city’s preservation planner, said changes target a relatively new prototype of 2‑ and 3‑family buildings that “have very stark appearance[s]” and lack traditional details. He described the proposed rules for small‑scale residential projects: a maximum porch elevation of 5 feet above grade, requirements to enclose or screen large open spaces beneath porches, and a prohibition on using untreated pressure‑treated pine as a finished exterior material. “Putting corner boards on a building…is not gonna add an exorbitant amount of cost to buildings,” Martin said, arguing small trim details can materially improve appearance without large price increases.

Staff also proposed standards for apartments and mixed‑use buildings in commercial zones: limit blank wall areas along sidewalks, increase ground‑floor transparency where the first floor is commercial, require more visually interesting rooflines and restrict certain low‑quality materials at the ground floor. The package would require more accurate site plans (including grading) to make on‑the‑ground elevations visible to reviewers and would create a staff‑level design review to recommend improvements before projects reach the City Planning Commission.

Lehi Simon and Alexis Thompson (zoning official) described companion zoning text changes in chapter 27 to implement items from the comprehensive plan, align local wording with recent state law updates and add clarifications across multiple articles. Notable technical changes staff highlighted included: a 5‑foot front setback for a new row‑house typology; adjustments to allow oversized‑lot subdivisions so that newly created lots must be at least 3,000 square feet and 30 feet wide; and a neighborhood‑character administrative modification standard for small, administratively‑granted variances.

Staff said existing buildings that complied with then‑current law would be grandfathered, and they gave a likely timeline: if the committee advances the ordinance out of committee, the city council docket could include the item in late February/early March, with the ordinance taking effect upon passage. Several councilors pressed staff on representation of the ad hoc committee (noting Providence’s large Latino population), enforceability of the rules, and whether the changes might slow development. Councilwoman Brown praised the package as practical and predictable and said developers she had spoken with felt the rules were reasonable.

On several specific points staff offered technical clarifications: if a building’s entrance is raised by site grading, the new rules would limit porch height so the primary elevation reads as a typical street‑level entry; the city would require surveys for new large construction or additions close to lot lines; and certain uses (for example, transitional shelters) would be shifted from special‑use permits to permitted uses in some zones with standards to be checked. The committee moved to continue the public hearing to next week to allow for a formal public hearing and further review.