Greater City Providence
Rendering of Kendall Hotel Group’s proposal for Parcel 1A along the Providence River.
[alert type=”muted”]A meeting of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission will be held at Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, 315 Iron Horse Way, Suite 101, Providence, Rhode Island, on Wednesday, November 15, 2017, beginning at 5:00 P.M., for the following purposes:[/alert]I. Public Session
- Welcoming remarks by Chairperson Davis.
- Approval of the Minutes of the Commission meeting held on October 16, 2017.
- Executive Director’s Report.
- Update and discussion on the proposed development by Waldorf Capital Management on Parcel 30; Vote to consider a reduction in the purchase price for Parcel 30.*
- Commission discussion on the possible use of park parcels for ancillary uses such as a visitor’s center and sculpture garden.
- Discussion of proposed 2018 Commission meeting schedule.
- Vote to ratify the approval of a Level 1 application as submitted by the Kendall Hotel Group for the proposed hotel development on Parcel 1A.*
- Chairperson’s Report/Agenda for next meeting on Wednesday, December 11, 2017 at 5:00 P.M.
- Vote to Adjourn.
*To the extent then complete, proposed resolutions under agenda items 4 and 7 will be posted on the Commission’s website www.195district.com at 12pm on November 15th.
[alert type=”muted”]Agenda [/alert]
Last I heard about this one is, some committee was holding this up because they wanted a more ‘traditional’ (i.e. classical) design. I think this criticism is misplaced. Although I love traditional architecture and that often creates a sense of warmth and belonging, I don’t believe it has an exclusive monopoly on that sense. Its good to give other styles a chance too.
Granted, Providence has a mixed history when it comes to post-modernist architecture. There are some ugly, unremarkable, and unwelcoming buildings in the city, built in the 1970s, and a few built more recently, but I don’t get a bad feeling from this rendering. It has an affable face to the waterfront; lots of balcony space, a terraced area for restaurant, and a floor to ceiling glass entrance. My only critique would be its unambitious, a little too 1980s chain hotel, but other than that its fine.