Greater City Providence

WPRI: Colin Kane resigns as chairman of 195 Commission

The chairman of the commission tasked with overseeing the development of roughly 40 acres of land in downtown Providence left vacant by the relocation of I-195 has resigned.

“Colin offered his resignation, and the governor accepted,” Raimondo spokeswoman Marie Aberger told WPRI.com. “We asked for his continued advice and counsel, and he has agreed to stay on through the transition process. The governor is grateful for Colin’s dedicated service to the people of Rhode Island, which helped lay the groundwork for this project. We will have more details on what’s next for the commission in the coming days.”


Speculation has been since election-day that Raimondo wants to refresh the 195 Commission. The Governor campaigned on a manufacturing innovation hub being established on the 195 land. This contrasts with the current plans to sell off the land and allow the market to determine what gets built there.

Such a hub would not occupy all the land and there would be room for much of it to be sold off and developed independent of a state imposed framework for it.

Jef Nickerson

Jef is Greater City Providence's co-founder, editor, and publisher. He grew up on Cape Cod and lived in Boston; Portland, Maine; and New York before settling in Providence. In addition to urbanism, Jef is interested in art, design, and ice cream. Please feel free to contact Jef if you have any question or comments about Greater City Providence.

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