A three-acre affordable housing development located in the heart of downtown East Providence got a financial boost from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank on Monday.

Center City Apartments, a 144-unit, 100% affordable housing development proposed by ONE Neighborhood Builders, will be the beneficiary of a $480,188 Municipal Infrastructure grant awarded to East Providence in order to assist them with preparing a stormwater mitigation plan for the three lots that comprise the development.

Located at the currently vacant properties of 330, 350 and 354 Taunton Ave., the development plan formed through a partnership in 2022 between ONE Neighborhood Builders, Foster Forward, Family Service of RI, and Crossroads Rhode Island in order to create a campus that includes affordable units, along with access to multiple social services.

Of the 144 units, 60% will be available to those making 60-80% of the area median income (AMI), while 40% will be dedicated to individuals earning 30% or less of the AMI, including those who are experiencing homelessness or those who are at a high risk of becoming homeless.

Mayor Bob DaSilva said that the development is an example of the kind of affordable housing efforts that are essential to address the high price of housing that has contributed to the ongoing housing crisis in Rhode Island.

“I’m really excited about this project because it really targets people who are economically worse off than anybody else,” he said. “They need a place to live.”

DaSilva said that he hoped public perception of these kinds of developments was shifting, because the types of people in need of such units are more diverse and nuanced than typically imagined.

“I get those heartbreaking calls from people, who are older residents, saying, ‘Hey, my landlord is raising my rent to a point where I can no longer afford it and I’m trying to find something affordable. Can you point me in the right direction?’” he said. “ The problem is, those East Providence Housing Authority units have got a waiting list of hundreds of people.”

Young adults just getting started in a career or freshly graduated from high school or college find themselves in similar situations regarding the unaffordability of local housing, too, he said.

“It’s not doable for a young person starting out their lives in whatever career they chose to pay $2,500 or $2,200 (a month) — that’s what they’re asking now for these rents,” he said. “It’s really not doable for a lot of these young people. So having affordable housing options for people trying to get a start in life, that’s also why this project is super important.”

DaSilva said that ONE Neighborhood’s plan to set aside units for those who are homeless, and for those who have aged out of the foster care system, provides even more motivation for him to support the development.

Procedurally, the Center City Apartments development is currently awaiting a hearing for a final approval from the East Providence Planning Board, which could come as soon as January. If all goes to plan, they hope to have the development built and ready for leasing in the fall of 2026.

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