Greater City Providence

Capital Center Commission Meeting – June 11, 2014

[alert type=”muted”]Capital Center Commission Meeting
Wednesday, June 11, 2014 • 12:00 noon
Joseph A. Doorley, Jr. Municipal Building
444 Westminster Street, 1st Floor Conference Room Providence, RI 02903[/alert]

credit-union-parking

R.I. Credit Union parking lot in Capital Center. Image Google StreetView

ccc-roundAgenda

  1. Roll Call
  2. Minutes
    Approval of Meeting Minutes of May 14, 2014
  3. Parcel 1: Union Station Parking Lot
    Request for Extension of Parking Attendant Booth and Pylon Sign Approvals
  4. Parcel 15: RI Credit Union
    Request for Extension of Parking Approval
  5. FY 2015 Budget
  6. Adjournment
[alert type=”muted”]Agenda [/alert]

Greater City Providence

Promoting the smart urban growth of the Greater Providence region.

6 comments

  • What do they mean by “extension of parking” at the RI Credit Union? Paving over even more green space?
    Do they have bike racks for parking bikes?
    There are 3 bus lines (50, 56, 57) that go right there, the commuter rail is not far, do they have any transit incentives for employees?

  • I think they mean extending the period during which they have permission to have surface parking, which is not an approved use in the Capital Center District. Though, I can’t image what would happen if that permission were revoked.

  • Heres an idea if not approved… sell the land to a developer who will, I don’t know, develop the parking lot?

  • If you look at the parcel map for the City of Providence the credit union and its parking sit on one lot. The lot contains the credit union building and a gated parking lot set back from the street surrounded by mature landscaping features. The lot is clean with a nice brick circle (most likely stamped concrete) with a center planting bed just inside the Francis St entrance. When I have had to go there the available parking was necessary. Between the mall and the parking spaces the state has taken over, there is almost never on street parking anywhere along Smith or Francis. The south side of the lot contains a section of double stacked parking spaces for employees so the more spaces are available for customers. It is a well designed, efficient use of land around for a building that needs parking. The credit union has been in that location with parking for decades. Long before there was a Capital Center.

    I bring this up because asking someone to vacate the land they own and have been on for decades and who clearly take pride in their property borders on ignorance. If you look back at the records you will find this exception being granted as far back as 2000. It was about that time the credit union replaced their old building with the building they are now in. The exception the credit union was given may have been the result of grandfathering the existing parking lot even though the existing building was being replaced. My search could not find documentation on the original petition.

    For the record, I am against the expansion of parking on the State House grounds and the creation of the parking lot on land adjacent to to the credit union on Francis St. The “I hate cars” faction on this site would be better served by suppressing their knee-jerk reactions to the word parking and taking time to look at what is actually going on.

  • While I have a car and use it often enough, I do hate some of the aspects of what cars have done to urban life and the environment. On this thread, I only originally asked what is going on with the agenda item. Now that it has been explained I still think the Commission in approving the continuation might stipulate bike parking and a transit/bike/walk/carpool incentive program to help reduce congestion and pollution.

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