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…