Nine North Providence neighbors who took the town to court over a 24-unit housing development on Marconi Street have been reimbursed $12,374 in legal costs, with the town council approving the payment after one of their own — Councilor Ronald Baccala — was among the plaintiffs suing his own municipality.
The Town Council authorized the payment following a recommendation from the town's Claims Committee, according to The Valley Breeze. The case had challenged the Town of North Providence Planning Board of Review's approval of the Marconi Street development, which was originally proposed as a 24-unit project. Baccala was one of nine plaintiffs in the case and recused himself from votes on the reimbursement, the outlet reported.
Because Baccala had a direct stake in the matter, fellow councilor Dino Autiello stood in as Claims Committee chairman when the issue came before the board. Autiello said Baccala “went above and beyond to defend his constituents,” per the same report. The $12,374 reimbursement, approved by the board in December, was split among all nine plaintiffs, including Baccala himself.
A Project Years in the Making
The dispute traces back to 2019, when the Marconi Street development was first proposed. The Planning Board denied one version of the proposal in 2023, prompting the developer to appeal that denial. The board went on to approve the project in 2024, which is what triggered Baccala and his neighbors to sue.
Court records reviewed by law.justia.com show the Planning Board approved the preliminary plan application by a six-to-zero vote on March 13, 2024. Baccala, along with eight other nearby property owners, formally appealed that decision on April 24, 2024. Baccala owned property within 250 feet of the project, giving him legal standing to challenge it alongside his neighbors.
Conflicting Accounts of the Court's Ruling
What happened next in court is described differently depending on the source. The Valley Breeze reported that a Superior Court judge ultimately sided with the neighbor group, finding the planning approval erroneous. But the Superior Court's own written opinion in the case states plainly that the court affirms the Planning Board's decision. The dossier of court and news records reviewed for this story does not resolve that discrepancy.
What is clear is that North Providence chose not to pursue the matter further in court, and the neighbors pooled their resources to litigate the decision on their own. Years earlier, residents had raised concerns about worsening flooding, trash, drainage and other impacts tied to the multifamily project, according to an earlier Valley Breeze report on the initial lawsuit.
Developer Revised Plans, Neighbors Say They Compromised
Rather than let the fight drag on indefinitely, the developer worked with neighbors to address their concerns, per the Breeze's reporting. Owner Armand Cortellesso submitted a revised 22-unit version of the Marconi Street development in 2026, which cleared final regulatory hurdles in May.
Baccala told The Local Insider that while neither side got everything it wanted, the two sides were able to compromise through civil discussion. That outlet also reported that a similar standoff had previously played out on Marconi Street, where a judge sent the matter back to the town so the parties could work things out, and Cortellesso ultimately agreed to build something more conducive to the neighborhood. Under the revised plan, the outlet reported, each of the 22 condominiums would have its own garage, entrance and trash receptacles.
The Valley Breeze reported it learned of the reimbursement last week following an anonymous reader tip, bringing to light a payment that had been approved by the board in December but had not previously been publicly reported.
