PROVIDENCE — A local developer is planning to tear down two existing buildings on Wickenden Street to make way for a five-story mixed-use property.
Fox Point Capital LLC, a subsidiary of Providence Realty Advisors and better known as Providence Living, is proposing a 62-residential unit property with three commercial units on the ground floors to be constructed at 269 Wickenden St.
The buildings that would need to be leveled — currently located at 251 and 269 Wickenden — are owned by Providence Living and were each built in 1985, according to city property records.
The brick building at 251 Wickenden is home to law offices while Providence Living has its headquarters based at 269 Wickenden, along with a massage parlor, nail salon, and Gregory’s Optical, which opened in 1989.
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Providence Living and the massage parlor will relocate to a space downtown. Gregory’s Optical purchased a property on Hope Street.
Dustin Dezube, owner of Providence Living, will seek approval from the Providence City Plan Commission on Tuesday to begin construction. He is also seeking a zoning variance for the proposed height; the property is zoned for four stories.
Dezube told the Globe Tuesday that he is looking to identify businesses in Fox Point that need a larger space, or were displaced due to new development, to fill these three commercial units. For example, he said, Bagel Gourmet on Brook Street was displaced in 2021 when Brown University demolished a shopping plaza to make way for new dorms.
The bagel shop “is the exact kind of business I want here,” said Dezube. The building will be new, but “I want to find shops that are consistent with the flavor and culture of Wickenden.”
Dezube says the property will include 20 internal parking spots located in the cellar, with access from an entrance on Brook Street, but parking is not required for this site under the city’s zoning rules. Plans for 12 bicycle spaces will be included in a later phase of the development process.
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Of the 62 rental units, Dezube’s plans include a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom apartments. He said the company is still “exploring all options” regarding monthly rent costs, but said it’s unlikely that units will be priced above market rate.
Four one-bedroom apartments will be located on the first floor, with two of the commercial units. Sixteen units will be located on the second floor, 15 each on the second and third floors, and 12 apartments will be located on the fifth story.
Some of the apartments will have their own balcony or access to deck space. The third commercial unit will be located in the basement, according to blueprints shared with the city.
Providence Living is in the middle of several other development projects throughout the city.
In the Jewelry District, Dezube purchased the building and adjacent parking lot that once held Club Karma for $1.6 million from Johnson & Wales University in September 2021. The lot, which has stood vacant since 2015, is expected to become a new mixed-use space with two retail storefronts on the first floor, and 19 residential units throughout. Dylan Conley, a municipal and land use attorney who represents Dezube, told the Globe last week that the company is finishing interior demolition before it begins construction.
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In April 2022, Dezube unveiled plans to renovate the former Tockwotton Home at 180 George M. Cohan Blvd., a prominent 50,000-square-foot brick building, into 71 apartment units. At the time, he estimated construction costs to total $7.75 million.
This story has been updated.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.