To the editor:
The Riverside Renaissance Movement is a grassroots collaboration of residents, businesses, organizations, and public officials promoting and enhancing Riverside as a vibrant waterfront community where people want to work, live, visit, and play. At our most recent meeting, many waterfront residents raised concerns about the recent revision of home tax assessments. These residents reported increases in their property taxes of 38-55%, while their neighbors living directly across the street experienced <5-10% increases or in some cases, even decreases. Many of these residents will file individual appeals, but as an organization the RRM is increasingly concerned about the economic impact of such drastic increases for the overall health of our community.

First, while these increases in assessments and property taxes largely target waterfront residents, there is little being done to protect and maintain the value of these properties. Erosion and the associated physical destruction of waterfront properties and our parks continues to be a dire condition throughout much of Riverside, due to our characteristic sandy shore. The destruction is noticeable under the old railroad on the East Bay Bike Path along the shores of Crescent Beach (Rose Larissa Park). For nearly all our waterfront residents, the loss is also alarmingly evident in our loss of backyard property and it worsens with each passing year. Two of our members (myself included) just had engineers assess their property determining that the erosion situation is “severe” with estimated costs projected at over $30,000/lot for mitigation measures. The reality is that the future threatens our homes and the beautiful recreational resources that characterize our neighborhood, and nothing is being done by the city to protect us! This irreversible damage impacts the vitality of the community as well as the health of Upper Narragansett Bay. It is an issue that the RRM has raised throughout the comprehensive planning process and numerous times with the planning department, CRMC and Save the Bay.

In addition to erosion, the RRM has been advocating for the past four years to address the odor emanating from the Riverside Wastewater Treatment Plant. The fact is that the first impression people have when entering our community is that “it stinks.” This decreases land and housing values (and resale values) and has not been considered in assessments. In addition, even with an increase in taxes, the RRM has little confidence that anything is being done to address either of these issues.

Second, these increases are contradictory to the demographics of Riverside, particular the waterfront districts in proximity to Riverside Square. Riverside is a working class neighborhood. Much of the targeted region falls within US Census block group 010600-4 which has a mean housing price of $180,000 (based on 2010-2014 data) and a mean household income of $56,366 (median $46,617) falling far below the mean RI state household income of $76,618. In almost all cases within this group block, the steep tax increases far exceed this mean price and presents an extreme economic hardship to residents. In many if not most situations, property taxes would consume 15% or more of mean household incomes. Furthermore, this disproportionally affects families. The mean family income in this group is $56,753 (median $38,563) compared to $92,281 state-wide. The poverty level is 11%. The reality is that these high tax rates are targeting working individuals and families who are going to be forced to make tough and unreasonable choices between housing, healthcare, food, and other necessities.
In terms of opportunity costs, our elected officials need to consider that such increased taxes will limit financial resources that many residents would otherwise put into maintenance and upkeep of their homes. The US Census reports median age for homes built in block group 010600-4 is 1939 (compared to 1958 state-wide). The aging housing stock will continue to require significant investment, and many homeowners continue to face health risks, including asbestos and lead exposure, that they be financially unable to address.

Third, there is no guarantee that the increase in taxes will go towards any initiatives to make our community safer or more desirable. Furthermore, with increased taxes, residents will have less financial resources to invest in the safety of the community, and to maintain the security and maintenance of their properties. The RRM has been a strong advocate for promoting public safety in the areas in proximity to Riverside Square. Nearly everyone in the community has had personal experiences with theft and/or vandalism on or in proximity to their property. Since the RRM has been in existence, the city has done away with its community policing program. At one point, the community policing officers would come to all of our meetings and follow-up on complaints; we knew our local officers on a first-name basis. We have advocated for a Riverside police substation and/or security cameras in public areas (parks, Riverside Square, etc.). There is strong evidence that both of these initiatives have significantly decreased crime rates in other RI and MA communities. Very little has been done, however, which has led to increasing commercial vacancies with decreasing desirability and sense of safety in our community. Ultimately, this will lead to further crime, loitering, devaluing of properties, and housing vacancies.

Finally, a significant increase in available housing supply could have a detrimental and unintended effect of decreasing what homes will actually sell for. There is evidence that our community is making strides in revitalization and reasonable increases in housing values are expected. However, local real estate agents present at our last meeting cited a “reasonable tax increase” to be about 4-10% (far below what waterfront property owners are reporting). The concern is that the drastic and unreasonable increase this year will lead many to put their homes on the market. Anecdotally, the RRM has heard this concern from a number of residents; the tax increase is in effect pricing resident out of their own neighborhood. Assuming that the demand remains stable or decreases (due to the higher property taxes), the actual selling prices of these properties would plummet. In addition, these waterfront homes are disproportionally appraised unreasonably above their neighbors. The agents expressed fear that the result of this tax increase could be far more economically harmful than what people realize.

In conclusion, the RRM believes that the unconscionable increase in house assessments and property taxes, which seems to target waterfront properties exclusively, will be a significant detriment to the health, environment, prosperity, and desirability of our community. It goes against the organizational goals and aspirations of both our community and City of East Providence. As elected officials, you represent the needs and influence the future of the community, and you need to take these issues into strong consideration.

Jason Rafferty
Director of the Riverside Renaissance Movement, Inc.

This letter was sent to the East Providence City Council, the City Tax Assessor, Media Outlets and Affected Property Owners.