Proposed 7-Story Brown Health Parking Garage Faces Neighborhood Opposition
Kate Nagle, News Editor
Proposed 7-Story Brown Health Parking Garage Faces Neighborhood Opposition
Community activists are holding a rally this week against a proposed multi-level parking garage by Brown University Health, which they say is part of the “ongoing encroachment and disregard for the South Providence neighborhood and the community of color.”
The group, led by residents Yaimani Rivera and her sister Yidara, alleges that Providence Mayor Brett Smiley has been “working behind the South Providence community’s back” on the proposed structure on Prairie Avenue and Dudley Street.
Smiley’s office maintains that the proposed garage has gone through the city’s planning and development channels, and that he believes the condensed footprint of such a structure would allow for more housing in the area.
In July 2025, the Providence City Plan Commission approved Brown Health's Institutional Master Plan, which proposed a new parking garage with 750 spaces on what is currently a surface parking lot.
"Approximately 200 parking spaces are expected to be disrupted during the construction of the garage," according to Brown Heath's IMP.
Now, a protest in opposition to the project is planned for Wednesday, April 29, at 10:30 AM at the corner of Prairie and Dudley.
Opponents on Record
On Monday, GoLocal spoke with Yaimani Rivera, who has lived on Dudley Street with her sister since 2020, says she first heard there was a multi-story parking structure planned by Brown Health last year.
“In December, the South Providence Neighborhood Association had a meeting with the [City of Providence] Planning Department, and excuse my French, it was a complete shit show,” said Rivera. “The Department was not prepared or planned to have a conversation with the community [about the garage proposal].”
Rivera said the Mayor met with the community last month and was “aware of what was going on," and that along with Brown Health, they have been directing the community to reach out to the property developer - the Boston-based company Marathon - with their concerns.
“It’s like they’re sending us on scavenger hunts and we’re like, no, it’s simple. I don’t think anyone wants to claim responsibility around [the garage]. The Mayor even said, the city’s not building the parking garage,” said Rivera. “The community is tired. We are tired of being disrespected; we are tired of not having our voices considered.”
"And Rhode Island Hospital hosted a breakfast, which my sister and myself declined, because when they said, hey, we're having the community breakfast, we did ask, is the community at large invited? They said no, so we declined," said Rivera.
Brown Health did not respond to a request for comment.
Smiley Says Project Helps Housing; Providence Preservation Society Weighs In
On Monday, Smiley's office responded to critics.
“The proposed parking structure has received preliminary plan approval from the Department of Planning and Development as a Minor Land Development Project. Given that the proposal complies with all zoning regulations and does not require variances, state law requires that it be approved administratively. It is also important to note that preliminary approval is not the final step,” said Smiley spokesperson Josh Estrella. “The project must still proceed through additional stages, including final plan approval and other permitting requirements, and we will continue to share information as it becomes available.”
“Mayor Smiley is pleased that the developer continues to meet with neighbors and has committed to make modifications to this proposed project based on their feedback. While not approved, Mayor Smiley supports the goal of this project to eliminate nearby surface parking lots and turn them into much-needed housing,” Estrella continued.
Estrella did not respond to follow-up questions about how the hospital's parking lots would be related to additional housing. The plan by Brown Health and approved by the City Plan Commission makes no mention of housing.
Rivera said that Marathon has "stopped returning the group’s calls and emails."
Meanwhile, the Providence Preservation Society (PPS), on its list of “Most Endangered Places 2026,” identifies adjacent residential houses as “resistance houses,” and this week addressed the growing concerns in the community.
The so-called resistance houses - of which there are four - are “on the outer edges of the many surface parking lots in the area, the last remnants of the neighborhood that once stood there,” says PPS.
One of those lots is the seven-story garage opposed by neighbors.
“The area near the hospitals in Upper South Providence is primed for change and development. With over 50 acres of surface parking lots, residents, city leaders, and planners alike hope that this land can come into a more beneficial use,” said PPS. “The first step toward change in the area is consolidating or eliminating some of this parking.”
“Today, two parking structures are in the works near Brown University Health. Residents are broadly supportive of parking garages to reduce the sprawl of surface lots — but some worry about the proximity of one of the parking garages to the Resistance Houses, preserving affordability in the neighborhood, and whether community voices will be valued in the process of building the structures and pending redevelopment more broadly,” PPS continued.
“The neighborhood became a sea of parking lots over several decades due to compounding effects of urban renewal, hospital expansion and demolition, and vacancy,” said PPS.
“A community meeting and Q&A with Mayor Brett Smiley with a focus on this subject will take place on May 26 at 5 pm at 500 Broad Street.”