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City Plan Commission Meeting – February 26, 2013

gcpvd —  February 21, 2013 — Leave a comment

Notice of Regular Meeting
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 – 4:45pm
Department of Planning and Development • 1st Floor Meeting Room
444 Westminster Street, Providence

Opening Session

  • Call to Order
  • Roll Call
  • Approval of minutes from January 15th 2013 meeting – for action
  • Director’s Report

Major Land Development Project

1. Case No. 12-011 MA – 257 Thayer Street (Final Plan Approval) The CPC approved the preliminary plan to construct a four story mixed use building with 95 dwelling units, underground parking and a landscaped courtyard in December 2012. The applicant is seeking final plan approval subject to fulfillment of preliminary plan conditions – for action (AP 13 Lots 42, 48, 104, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238 and 241, College Hill)

See also: UPDATED: Graduate student housing apartment building proposed on Thayer Street

Minor Land Development Project

2. Case No. 13-001MI – 55-57 Sprague Street and other sites (Preliminary Plan Approval) The applicant is proposing to construct a building with 21 dwelling units with a community room and agricultural green space at the site of 55-57 Sprague Street (M-1). The applicant is also proposing to construct townhouses with two to four dwelling units at proximate sites on 217-219 Dexter Street (M-1), 58-80 Diamond Street (M-1), 110-126 Wilson Street (R-3), 197, 196-202 Harrison Street (R-3) and 39 Westfield Street (M-1). The applicant is seeking preliminary plan approval. (AP 31 Lots 192, 252, 54 and 55 and AP 30 Lots 298, 293, 295, 296, 266, 674, 675 and 388, West End)

Adjournment

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Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Meeting – February 20, 2013

Jef Nickerson —  February 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Agenda
February 20, 2013, 4:30 PM, 444 Westminster Street, First Floor

Note: Meeting is Wednesday instead of Monday due to the President’s Day holiday.

  • 4:30 – Bike Providence Master Plan update – Bill DeSantis, VHB
  • 5:00 – Snowstorm follow-up/issues
  • 5:15 – Communications update – Jef Nickerson, Jenn Steinfeld
  • 5:25 – Walk Lights (beg-button) – Jef Nickerson
  • 5:35 – Road Bond/Bike Improvements coordination
  • 5:40 – Public Comment
  • 5:55 – Approval of Minutes (December 17, January 23)

Full disclosure: I am a member of this Commission.

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Plowing done wrong

Jef Nickerson —  February 10, 2013 — 29 Comments

east-ave

East Avenue near the Pawtucket/Providence line.

I’m seeing a lot of bellyaching on social media about streets not being plowed yet. While, my street is showing signs of blacktop, I feel others pain, but. We got walloped with feet of snow drifting to amazing proportions. There are hundreds of thousands, probably millions of tons of snow that need to be removed from hundreds of miles of roads. This is not something that just happens in a day or two, or more.

What does annoy me, is snow removal done wrong. The Providence Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (of which I am a member) has discussed with Providence EMA the problem of plows piling snow at the corners of blocks, which then makes it impossible for abutters to comply with snow removal regulations. And while like I said, we’re dealing with a monumental amount of snow, that really has few places to go, I’m seeing a lot of signs around the few parts of the city that I’ve been able to reach this weekend, signs that this continues to happen.

While the photo above is from Pawtucket, not Providence, it illustrates the problem well. My friend who took the photo asked the workers who were dumping the snow if the abutter here would receive a fine and was told: ‘if they talked to city hall they wouldn’t get a fine.’

Well, that is nice for the pocketbook of the abutter (though, ‘talk to City Hall,’ is a rather vague directive), it sucks for all the people who now have to walk in East Avenue because the sidewalk will be closed for weeks.

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CANCELED: DRC to review new 10-story apartment building at February 11, 2013 meeting

gcpvd —  February 6, 2013 — 8 Comments

This meeting has been canceled.

Notice of Regular Meeting • Monday, February 11, 2013 – 4:45pm
Department of Planning and Development, 1st Floor Meeting Room, 444 Westminster Street, Providence

Opening Session

  • Call to Order
  • Roll Call
  • Approval of Meeting Minutes of October 15, 2012 and November 5, 2012
  • Acceptance of DDRC 2013 Meeting Schedule
  • Annual Election of Vice Chair

New Business

1. Pre-Application Review: 131-171 Canal Street (parking lot) Proposal to construct a new 10-story apartment building on the site. This item is for discussion only. No action will be taken by the DRC at this meeting.

Adjournment

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Providence 2013 State of the City Address

gcpvd —  January 29, 2013 — 1 Comment


Mayor Angel Taveras

2013 State of the City Address

Providence Is Recovering

Tuesday, January 29, 2013 • (as prepared for delivery)

Photo of the Mayor delivering the State of the City from the Mayor's Office.

Photo of the Mayor delivering the State of the City from the Mayor’s Office.

Governor, Mr. President, honorable members of the Providence City Council, distinguished guests, and my fellow residents of our great Capital City –

One year ago I stood before you in this Chamber with an urgent message for our City and the entire State of Rhode Island. Providence was in peril. Despite many difficult decisions and painful sacrifices made to pull Providence back from the brink, we were still $22 million short of closing a $110 million structural deficit.

Crucial steps necessary to navigate our City safely through our Category 5 fiscal hurricane had not yet come to pass. We still needed to reform our unsustainable pensions. And we needed Providence’s large, tax-exempt institutions to contribute more.

As I stood before you on February 13, 2012, Providence was running out of cash, and running out of time. In the months that followed, there were some who said Providence could not avoid filing for bankruptcy.

BACK FROM THE BRINK

Today it is my privilege to deliver a much more hopeful report on the State of our City: Providence is recovering.

Through collaborative efforts and shared sacrifice, we have all but eliminated our City’s $110 million structural deficit, and we expect to end this year with a balanced budget. Working together, we have accomplished what few believed possible.

We were determined to address the root causes of Providence’s fiscal emergency and prepared to act unilaterally if necessary. And we knew our City would never achieve a lasting recovery without addressing our unsustainable and spiraling pension costs.

In April, following months of actuarial analysis and public testimony, this City Council unanimously approved a pension reform ordinance that put Providence’s pension system on a sustainable path.

We recognized that passing the ordinance would likely lead to a high-stakes lawsuit with no real winners – because a decision in favor of the status quo would push our City over the brink. However, faced with the challenge of negotiating pension changes with more than 2,000 retirees who were not represented by a single entity, we saw no alternative.

Continue Reading…

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195 Redevelopment District Commission Meeting – January 29, 2013

gcpvd —  January 26, 2013 — 1 Comment

A meeting of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission will be held at the office of Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, 315 Iron Horse Way, Suite 101, Providence, Rhode Island, on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, beginning at 5:00 p.m., for the following purposes:

I. Public Session

Call to Order: The Chairperson

  1. Welcome by Chairperson: Chairperson Colin Kane.
  2. To approve the public session minutes of the meeting held on January 14, 2013. (Tab 1.)
  3. Review and approval of Resolutions authorizing the Commission to enter into the RIEDC bond transaction and to acquire I-195 surplus land.

    4. II. Executive Session

    To consider and act upon such matters as may be considered at a meeting closed to the public pursuant to the Open Meetings Law, specifically matters permitted to be so considered under subsection (5), (disposition of public property) and subsection (7), (investment of public funds) of Rhode Island General Laws, Section 42-46-5(a) (the Open Meetings Law).

  4. Update by Levin & Co. Concerning Executive Director Search.
  5. Presentation by Hecht Development and Churchill & Banks Regarding Development Proposals.

    6. III. Public Session

    Chairman’s Report/Agenda for February 14, 2013 Meeting.

  6. Vote to Adjourn.

The presentation by Hecht Development and Churchill & Banks is scheduled during the Executive Session, which is generally not open to the public.

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Cluck and 257 Thayer Street among items on Feb. 6, 2013 Zoning agenda

gcpvd —  January 25, 2013 — 3 Comments

The Zoning Board of Review will meet on Wednesday February 6th and there are two items of interest on the agenda.

First is the zoning review for Cluck, an urban farming supply store proposed on Broadway.

cluck

Rendering of Cluck, from their Facebook page.

ELIAS AYOUB, OWNER AND DRAKE PATTEN, APPLICANT: 399 Broadway (corner Courtland St.), Lot 11 on the Tax Assessor’s Plat 33, located in an R-P Residential Professional Zone and within the Broadway Historic Overlay District; the applicant seeks a use variance for relief from Section 303-Use Code 55 – Retail Trade – Building and Related Material, more than 2,500 square feet of gross floor area (hardware-retail; nursery and garden supplies-retail including greenhouses; paint, glass, and wallpaper-retail; yard equipment and supplies) pursuant to Section 200, to operate an urban farm supply business including the sale of chicken hens (no roosters), using the existing gasoline station building, installing a modular shed/plant house and decorative fencing, and replacing a portion of the existing pavement with gardens. The lot in question contains approximately 10,850 square feet of land area.

Cluck is the last item on the agenda for the 5:30pm portion of the meeting.

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RI House of Representatives Pass Same-Sex Marriage Bill – Shot and edited by Sam Valorose

Posted by Jef Nickerson on January 25, 2013 In Government, Video , , , , ,
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Providence appoints new Planning and Urban Development Director

Jef Nickerson —  January 24, 2013 — 2 Comments

From the Mayor’s Office:

Mayor Taveras Names Rubén Flores-Marzán Planning and Urban Development Director

State Planning Director for Puerto Rico brings visionary leadership to Providence development

flores-marzan-headshotPROVIDENCE, RI – Providence Mayor Angel Taveras has named Rubén Flores-Marzán to the position of Planning and Urban Development Director to lead the City’s Planning Department.

“I am very pleased to announce Rubén Flores-Marzán as the City’s new Planning and Urban Development Director,” said Mayor Taveras. “Mr. Flores-Marzán brings an impressive portfolio of large-scale planning and development projects with him to Providence. I am confident he will serve a vital role in making Providence a better place to live and work.”

Flores-Marzán will begin work in Providence on February 11. As Planning and Urban Development Director for the City of Providence, Flores-Marzán will execute the Mayor’s vision for a livable, sustainable city that encourages economic growth and community development. He will be responsible for the City’s medium- and long-range development strategies on issues ranging from economic growth to historic preservation. The Director of Planning and Urban Development manages a team of about 25 professionals and reports to the City’s Economic Development Director, James S. Bennett.

“I am thrilled to join Mayor Taveras’ administration and look forward to working with Team Providence in achieving our shared aspirations for a more creative, inclusive, prosperous and sustainable City,” said Flores-Marzán.

Flores-Marzán previously served as the State Planning Director for the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, where he led the Puerto Rico Planning Board – the island’s central planning agency. While serving as the State Planning Director for Puerto Rico, Flores-Marzán implemented a comprehensive development plan across the island.

In 2011, Flores-Marzán coordinated the policy development, approval and implementation of solar and wind energy projects worth over $350 million. He processed development applications worth more than $3.1 billion with an expected employment potential of more than 35,000 jobs. Flores-Marzán championed market-oriented land use, boosting investor confidence and forging partnerships between local government and private enterprise.

Previous to his tenure in Puerto Rico, Flores-Marzán served as a planner for the cities of Cape Coral and Tampa, Florida. He also worked as a planning consultant with CPH Engineers, a Florida-based engineering and planning firm.
Flores-Marzán is licensed by the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and speaks both English and Spanish fluently. He holds Master of Arts degrees in Urban Planning and Geography from the University of Akron and a Bachelor of Arts in Geography from the University of Puerto Rico.

“We are delighted to bring Mr. Flores-Marzán’s expertise into the Office of Economic Development. His deep understanding of how we can leverage Providence’s assets with international markets is forward-thinking and very exciting,” said James Bennett, Director of Economic Development. “And his experience in multimodal transportation, serving millions of people, will inform our work with the Port of Providence, our highways and our rail service.”
Mayor Taveras selected Flores-Marzán following a nationwide search that attracted 18 candidates. He was among five finalists recommended to the Mayor for consideration.

I asked Bob Azar, who has been Acting Director of Planning since April after former director Thom Deller left to take a new position in Hartford about the new appointment, Azar said: “I will be moving back to my former position, director of current planning. I am grateful to Mayor Taveras and Jim Bennett for the opportunity to serve as acting director for the past nine months, and am looking forward to working with the new director.”

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ProJo: City commission urges accountability via Web

The group’s report, recently received by the City Council, proposes the following: an online tracking tool for council member votes; interactive budget information for the previous 10 years; and streaming important meetings live on the city’s website, providenceri.com.

“It is no secret that Providence city government has not always been a beacon of accountability and transparency to city residents,” the report’s conclusion read.

“And while City Hall has come incredibly far,” the commission says Providence officials have to continue developing a government that is “fully accountable” to its residents.

Posted by Jef Nickerson on January 23, 2013 In Government, Technology , , ,
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