Sunday, May 5, 2013
Board will meet Monday night, 7 p.m. at City Hall.
The City Council meets Monday night, 7 p.m. at City Hall in Harris Hall, 169 Main St., taking up an ordinance creating incentives for solar energy investment and abatement of taxes for two properties. The solar energy ordinance is proposed by Councilman Roger Jalette and supported by Economic Development Director Matt Wojcik. The Council will also discuss an proposed ordinance formally relinquishing any interest the city has in Glenark Street, allowing the consolidation of 125 South Main Street and lots 9-143, 9-144, 9-148, 9-149, via an administrative subdivision. The Council will also discuss the possible cancelation/abatement of taxes for two properties: 114 Fortin Dr. ($9,766.50) and 755 North Main St. ($8,874.81). See the attached…
Friday, April 26, 2013
Project held until May 13 meeting for additional plans.
The Zoning Board of Appeals tabled a proposal to convert the Stadium Building at 329 Main St., located next door to the Stadium Theater, into condominiums Monday. Before the project can begin, it needs waivers on parking restrictions, setbacks and on how far condos can be from their neighbors — in this case, the Stadium Theatre, the Woonsocket Call reports. The owner intends a $1.25 million project to convert the space into 21 condo units. The matter was tabled with the request that the owner produce additional plans for the project. It will be considered again during the next ZBA meeting May 13. Both Garret Mancieri, the Realtor handling the sale of the building from owner David W. Daniel to the developer, Leszek Przybylko, and City …
Monday, April 8, 2013
Measure passed unanimously during April 1 City Council meeting.
The Woonsocket City Council voted unanimously to ask State House reps for a bill disbanding the Woonsocket Budget Commission during their April 1 meeting, an action Town Council President John Ward said was regretfully symbolic. The resolution, which asks the city's General Assembly delegates: Representatives Stephen M. Casey (D – Dist. 50), Lisa Baldelli Hunt (D – Dist. 49) and Robert D. Phillips (D – Dist. 51), Senators Marc A. Cote (D - District 24, Woonsocket, North Smithfield) and Senator Roger A. Picard(D - District 20, Woonsocket, Cumberland), to introduce legislation to disband the Woonsocket Budget Commission. The resolution also asks for companion legislation to require the state to adequately and equitably fund distressed …
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169 Main St, Woonsocket, RI
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Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Woonsocket City Council members praised Alex Kithes's effort to champion legalized chicken keeping.
Despite their praise for the impassioned advocacy of rogue chicken keeper Alex Kithes, most city council members voted against legalizing fowl raising within city borders. The vote was 5-2, with only Council President Ward and Councilman Marc Dubois supporting amending the city's zoning law to make the hens Kithes keeps at his home for eggs legal. Though a few council members took issue with Kithes' attitude toward people who disagreed with him, particularly his neighbor Julie Kearns, and contradicted a few of his statements, members who voted against the amendment said they did so reluctantly. During a long and eloquent appeal to the council naming each member's concerns, Kithes sought to debunk claims that chickens were noisy, smelly …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Young speakers draw compliments, praise, applause.
Ariana Kithes and Alicia Mello's speeches at Monday night's City Council meeting, about chickens and conditions at Woonsocket High respectively, had some things in common: passion, delivery, and applause. Kithes was one of several people who spoke on behalf of an exeption to the city's ordinance on animals and fowl that would allow people to legally keep chickens in the city. "I didn't realize that facts were a matter of opinion," Kithes said in response to what she said were willfully ignorant opinions on the subject. Kithes said there is no meaningful risk of salmonella from keeping chickens locally, because birds with a healthy immune system don't contract the disease. In fact, she said, when she talked with her doctor about the …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Supplemental tax, vote on allowing back yard chickens, pitbull regulations tabled.
The City Council approved hiking the elderly tax exemption Monday night from $2,000 to $12,000, meant to bring it up to date with current incomes and changes to the homestead exemption. According to the orignal proposal submitted by City Council President John Ward, to qualify, you've got to be 65 years old or older, have lived in the city for at least five years, and not make more than $30,000 (see the attached pdf). Councilman Roger Jalette made a motion to switch the residency threshold from five years living in the city to three. Ward said he was comfortable with keeping it at five years, but asked if anyone wanted to entertain the motion. Councilman Albert Brien seconded it, and then all the councilmen present, Christopher …
Monday, February 18, 2013
City Council President's proposal increases exemption to $12,000.
As the Budget Commission considered their plan to plug the $14.5 million deficit, including a second stab at a supplemental tax, Council President John Ward said he'd introduce tax exemptions for elder citizens. Ward's following through on that promise later tonight at the City Council meeting, 7 p.m. in Harris Hall at City Hall, 169 Main St. with an ordinance that would hike the elderly tax exemption from $2,000 to $12,000. The current ordinance is outdated, and needs to be edited to provide the tax relief originally intended. To qualify, you've got to be 65 years old or older, have lived in the city for at least five years, and not make more than $30,000 (see the attached pdf). Ward said the ordinance would help make up some of the …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Councilors say city's troubles are shared state-wide.
The City Council asked Woonsocket’s General Assembly Delegation for help with several challenges Monday night, spending about three hours mapping out unfair taxpayer burdens they said communities statewide would benefit from fixing. Representatives Lisa Baldelli Hunt (D-Dist. 49, Woonsocket), Stephen Casey (D-Dist. 50), Bob Phillips (D-Dist. 51) and Senators Marc A. Cote, (D-Dist. 24) and Roger A. Picard (D-Dist. 20) attended. William Coyle, Real Estate consultant and principal of William E. Coyle Jr. and Associates of Pawtucket, spoke to legislators and the council about subsidized housing taxes at the invitation of Councilor Albert Brien. Council President John Ward said the city's subsidized housing units only pay eight percent of …
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Two former members called serve again on five-member board.
Last night the City Council appointed five members to the Redevelopment Agency, dormant since about 2004, to foster the expansion of businesses in Highland Corporate Park, put vacant industrial properties to use, and convert failing residential buildings into new housing. Rhode Island Title 45 empowers cities and towns to establish redevelopment agencies, "to acquire, by purchase or condemnation, properties in violation of the locality's or city's minimum housing code," for redevleopment for business and residential use. Economic Development Direct Matt Wojcik told Council members at a work session in the second floor conference room at City Hall last night there are many properties in Woonsocket like 84 Fairmont St., site of the …
Monday, December 17, 2012
It's another Monday, but one less day till Christmas. Check out these things to know.
Council - The Woonsocket City Council will meet tonight at 7 p.m. in Harris Hall on the third floor of City Hall, 169 Main St. Among the items on their agenda, they'll discuss an ammendment to zoning bylaws to allow supermarkets in C-1 zones. The change will enable the lot on Hamlet Street, a former mill site, to be developed as a supermarket, according to Economic Development Director Matt Wojcik. Tut-tut - Will Christopher Robin grow up to be a weather guy? It's anybody's guess, but weather.com is predicting rain with a little more science under its belt — no offense to the denizens of the 100-acre Wood. Not looking good for those hoping for snow. There'll be more rain tomorrow, too. Santa - St. Nick is clearing some time off his …
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Common Sense
12:26 pm on Tuesday, April 30, 2013
there are currently 20 condos actively for sale in the city right now, between 6 and 8 of them are vacant. there are 13 that are under contract with a buyer and 11 of those are vacant. I'd say that's not bad considering there are over 400 condos in the city more ›