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Not the apartment for you

By on July 13, 2017 in Buildings

If you go to public hearings on new development projects often enough, you’ll hear a familiar refrain—the apartments are too small, there’s no garden, too little parking, etc.—which boils down to: “I wouldn’t want to live there.” Well, guess what, not everyone wants to live where you do.

Some people live alone, some people have big families; some people like small places that are easy to clean, some are cheap, some have lots of furniture; some people like to garden, some people like to come home from work and watch Netflix, some people drive, some people walk, bike, or take the bus. Well, perhaps, this building isn’t built for you.

Healthy neighborhoods need a range of housing types, from family sized apartments and homes, to micro units and hip bachelor lofts and everything in between. The desire to have other people live the way I do, (“I like to garden. Gardening is important to (my) community. This building has no gardens. Therefore it’s bad for our community”) is a suburban desire. It’s the desire for middle-class conformity and normalcy.

When you travel to other healthy cities around the world (or even in the US), you see the vast array of ways that people are happy to live. I hope that you’ve found a place you like to live; I don’t think it’s helpful to kick away the ladder of other people finding places they may like to live. Guess, what, this apartment isn’t for you.

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City Plan Commission Meeting – July 18, 2017

By on July 13, 2017 in Government
Providence City Plan Commission Notice of Regular Meeting
Tuesday, July 18, 2017 – 4:45pm
Joseph Doorley Municipal Building, 1st Floor Meeting Room 444 Westminster Street, Providence, RI 02903

cpc-roundOpening Session

  • Call to Order
  • Roll Call
  • Approval of minutes from June 20, 2017 regular meeting – for action
  • Director’s Report – In memory of Commissioner Meredyth Church

Minor Subdivision

1. Case No. 17-016MI – 13 Cushing Street (Preliminary Plan) – The applicant is proposing to subdivide a lot measuring approximately 10,577 SF into two lots measuring 5,002 SF and 5,575 SF. Continued from the June 20, 2017 meeting – for action (AP 10 Lot 232, College Hill)

2. Case No. 17-023MI – 1 Dorrance Plaza (Preliminary Plan) – The applicant is proposing to subdivide a lot measuring approximately 139,941 SF (3.2 acres) into two lots measuring 65,020 SF and 66,390 SF – for action (AP 20 Lot 264, Downtown)

City Council Referral

3. Referral – Amendment to Section 1919 of the zoning ordinance – Petition to amend Section 1919 of the zoning ordinance to require approval of the City Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Review to change the use of a first floor to a residential use in the Atwells, Broadway and Westminster Commercial Corridors – for action

Unified Development Review

4. Discussion of changes to the zoning ordinance – Discussion of procedures to administer Unified Development Review for land development projects as detailed in the revised Zoning Ordinance and Development Review Regulations – for discussion

Adjournment

Agenda
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The impacts of where we park

By on July 7, 2017 in Parking

A few weeks back my wife and I were walking around the corner of our street on the west side when we noticed that if felt different. On both sides of the street the curbs were parked with cars—our neighbors across the street were having a house party. Typically there are few cars parked on our street, with the consequence that the street feels very wide and cars go speeding down it. But with the street densely parked the drive lanes are narrowed; drivers feel more constrained driving down the street causing them to slow down. Sometimes cars even have to stop to give way to a car going the other way, helping slow traffic on an otherwise quiet residential street with many children and pets. There’s even a name for this kind of street, a “give-way street.”

We saw another example of this phenomena during PVD Fest. The Sunday party in Dexter Training Ground meant that hundreds of cars were parking in the usually vacant on-street parking spaces around the park. Usually Dexter Street and Parade Street feature cars accelerating up the wide drives past a park where children play, but again the parked cars slowed traffic by narrowing the road width, and bonus: put a wall of steel between the moving cars and the sidewalk and park.

Continue Reading →

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Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting – July 19, 2017

By on July 6, 2017 in Bicycles, Pedestrians
Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting
Wednesday, July 19, 2017, 4:45 PM
Doorley Municipal Building, 444 Westminster Street, First Floor, Providence, RI 02903

bpac-roundAgenda

  1. Roll Call
  2. Approval of June 2017 Meeting Minutes (For Action)
  3. “Olney Street Improvements” – College Hill, Mount Hope – Wards 2 and 3 (For Action) — The City seeks comments from the BPAC regarding preliminary design plans to restripe Olney Street to include bike lanes. In addition to normal BPAC discussion, this will serve as a public hearing regarding the potential removal of parking from portions of the street.
  4. “Harris Avenue Improvements” – Olneyville – Ward 15 (For Action) — The City seeks comments from the BPAC regarding preliminary design plans to restripe Harris Avenue to include a separated two-way bike lane. In addition to normal BPAC discussion, this will serve as a public hearing regarding the potential removal of parking from portions of the street.
  5. Announcements and Staff Updates (For Discussion)
  6. Adjournment
Agenda
Full disclosure: I am a member of this Commission.
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2017 Providence 4th of July Celebration & Fireworks

By on June 29, 2017 in Events

Image from Department of Arts, Culture, + Tourism by Michael Christofaro The City of Providence will celebrate with fireworks, food, music, and more at India Point Park on July 4th. Details from the Department of Arts, Culture, + Tourism: Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, the City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism and the […]

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Downtown Design Review Committee Meeting – July 10, 2017

By on June 29, 2017 in Buildings

Agenda Opening Session Call to Order Roll Call Meeting Minutes of June 12, 2017 New Business 1. DRC Application No. 17.12: 350 Eddy Street (South Street Landing) – Public Hearing – The subject of the hearing will be an application by the CV Properties LLC, requesting a waiver from Providence Zoning Ordinance Section 1607(E), Freestanding […]

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Providence Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting – June 21, 2017

By on June 7, 2017 in Bicycles, BPAC, Pedestrians

Agenda Roll Call Approval of February 2017 Meeting Minutes (For Action) Approval of May 2017 Meeting Minutes (For Action) Nomination of Commission Chair (For Action) “Fountain Street Bike Lane Improvements” – Downtown – Ward 1 (For Action) — The City seeks comments from the BPAC regarding potential improvements to the separated bike lane on Fountain […]

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Joint Meeting with the Design Review Committee of the Capital Center Commission – June 14, 2017

By on June 7, 2017 in Government

Agenda Roll Call Minutes Meeting of April 12, 2017 Designation of Legal Service Provider Parcels 3E, 3W, 4E and 4W: Parking Lots Request for extension of interim parking lot approvals. Parcel 13: Providence Place Mall Proposal to alter the existing sidewalk planter along Francis Street. Intermodal Transit Center This item is for discussion only. No […]

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Downtown Design Review Committee Meeting – June 12, 2017

By on June 5, 2017 in Buildings

Agenda Opening Session Call to Order Roll Call Meeting Minutes of March 13, 2017, April 10, 2017, May 1, 2017 (Special Meeting), and May 8, 2017 New Business 1. DRC Application No. 16.30: 91 Chestnut Street (I-195 Redevelopment District Parcel 30) – Request by Waldorf Capital Management, LLC for modifications to the approved design of […]

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