You didn’t forget, did you? Pump up those tires and check your brakes cause there’s no better way to end the work week than to show up at the office in your Hawaiian shirt on your bike.

RI Bike has arranged the bike commuters breakfast and coffee, courtesy of Whole Foods Market, LÄRABAR, and New Harvest Coffee Roasters, as well as the following:

In the last week, we’ve had Mayor Tavares agree to ride to and speak at approximately 8AM.  We’re hopeful that he’ll be able to share information about an exciting request from local cyclists that he is considering.  We’ll also have Melanie Army from the City Planning Department on hand to talk about development of the next Providence Bike Plan and Rep. Art Handy to present a resolution from the state legislature declaring May 18th 2012 Bike To Work Day in Rhode Island.

• Onsite bicycle mechanic services are being provided by REI from 6:30 to 9:30.
• Raffle of donated items to benefit RIBIKE will be held, including a fashionable rainhood from CLEVERHOOD, bike bag and Donkey Boxes from Legend Bicycle, Bontrager floor pump from Caster’s, Bicycle Jewelry from Recycle-A-Bike and more!

Other activities:

• Product demonstrations from Caster’s Bicycles, Dynamic Bicycles.
• Get photographed at the ZipCar photobooth with your commuter gear or bike commuter friends.
• Learn how to combine Bike with Bus with RIPTA Rack and Ride

We are also proud to welcome the following presenting organizations:

• Caster’s Bicycles
• CLEVERHOOD
• Commuter Resource RI/RIPTA
• Dynamic Bicycles
• Legend Bicycle
• Recycle-A-Bike
• REI
• US Open Cycling Foundation
• ZipCar

Location: World War 1 Memorial, Providence (College St and South Main St.).
Time: 6:45AM to 10:30AM.

I hear the East Bay Bike Path is open again, too, and the weather is going to be perfect!

See you there!

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Jewelry District and 195 Land Built Out. Click Image to Enlarge.

Mayor Taveras Announced New, Streamlined Zoning Regulations for Knowledge District

Simplified, predictable zoning plan provides guideline for development of I-195 land and downtown Providence into vibrant, mixed-use economic corridor

PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Angel Taveras today announced new city zoning regulations that provide simple, predictable guidelines for development of the Interstate 195 land and downtown Providence.

The new zoning regulations will be implemented by both the city and the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission charged with overseeing development of 22 acres of land made available in the heart of Rhode Island’s capital city into a thriving Knowledge District of academic and health care institutions, research and development companies, residences and other uses, linked together by a network of open space.

“The relocation of I-195 and new development downtown is an incredible opportunity for Providence to attract new businesses, open up new revenue-generating property, and build a stronger economy in Providence and Rhode Island,” said Mayor Taveras. “Providence’s new zoning plan clears red tape and gives developers and business owners a more predictable path forward as we work with our academic and health care institutions and our partners at the State House to grow Providence’s Knowledge District into a 21st century economic engine.”

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Read the rest of New Downtown Zoning Regulations Signed (544 words)

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→ StreetFilms: San Francisco: Reclaiming Streets With Innovative Solutions

Tom Radulovich, the executive director of the local non-profit Livable City, describes the recent livable streets achievements in San Francisco as “tactical urbanism” — using low-cost materials like paint and bollards to reclaim street space.

That willingness to experiment was a big reason that the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) gave its 2012 Sustainable Transport Award to San Francisco (an honor shared with Medellín, Colombia). In this Streetfilm we profile the innovations that earned SF recognition from ITDP.

→ ArtInfo: Pop-Up Populism: How the Temporary Architecture Craze is Changing Our Relationship to the Built Environment

America is fast becoming a pop-up nation. From sea to shining sea, her cities have been swept up in the frenzy for temporary architecture: Brooklyn vendors sell their wares in artfully arranged shipping containers; Dallas’s Build a Better Block group champions DIY painted bicycle routes and pop-up small businesses; architects in San Francisco are repurposing metered parking spaces into miniature parks; residents in Oakland, California rallied to create an entire pop-up neighborhood. The phenomenon has even climbed its way from grassroots origins to the agendas of local authorities: D.C.’s office of planning sprouted a Temporary Urbanism Initiative, while New York’s transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan is implementing what she calls “Jane Jacobs’s revenge on Robert Moses” with her fast-acting interventions favoring pedestrians and cyclists. The temporary, so it seems, is overtaking the permanent. But how permanent is our current fascination for the temporary?

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A meeting of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission will be held at the offices of Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, 315 Iron Horse Way, Suite 101, Providence, Rhode Island, on MONDAY, May 14, 2012, beginning at 5:00 p.m., for the following purposes:

Public Session

1. To approve the Public Session minutes of the meeting held on April 9, 2012.
2. Chairperson’s Report and Commission update.
3. For discussion and consideration of obtaining Directors and Officers liability insurance.
4. For discussion and consideration of the Executive Director search.
5. For discussion and consideration of obtaining legal counsel for the District.

Executive Session

6. To consider and act upon such matters, indicated in agenda item 4 and 5, 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 (7) (investment of public funds) of Rhode Island General Laws, Section 42-46-5(a) (the Open Meetings Law).

Public Session

7. To establish an agenda for the next Commission meeting.

This notice shall be posted no later than 5:00 p.m. on THURSDAY, May 10, 2012, at the Office of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, at the State House and by electronic filing with the Secretary of State’s Office.

• Agenda [.pdf]

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Among the many items on the this week’s City Plan Commission agenda are items 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8 all related to a proposed parking deck on Cedar Street on Federal Hill.

This proposal is by the Omni Group, who also proposed, and were approved for a 6-story office building and parking structure at the corner of Cedar and Bradford Streets. As you’ll see here, the previous proposal is included in these plans.

Click image to enlarge

If you look at the CPC agenda, you’ll see that Omni Group is requesting some zoning revisions, which aren’t really an issue as far as I can see, bringing Downtown zoning over to Federal Hill is fine in my opinion. The highway is a false barrier between Federal Hill and Downtown. What they also seek however is the abandonment of a portion of Bond Street, and most of the remaining portions of Cedar Street. This, I’m not feeling.

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Read the rest of Proposed: Cedar Street Parking Deck (731 words)

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A selection of photos readers have recently shared in our Flickr Group:

Photo © provbenson2009

Photo © lddana51two

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Read the rest of GC: Photos (27 words)

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Ward Baking Company Administration Building. Photo from Providence Preservation Society

This week the Providence Preservation Society announced their 2012 list of the city’s Ten Most Endangered Properties.

• George C. Arnold Building (“The Narrow Building”)
• Jerothmul B. Barnaby House (“Barnaby’s Castle”)
• Flower Shop and Green House at 398 Hope Street
• Foreclosed Multifamily Housing Stock
• Cathedral of St. John
• Kendrick-Prentice-Tirocchi House
• Narragansett Electric Lighting (Dynamo House)
• former Rhode Island Department of Transportation Headquarters and Garage
• Roger Williams Park Seal House
• Ward Baking Company Administration Building

Find more information about each building and the Providence Preservation Society website.

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This is a commercial for Rhode Island Hospital, but it has some really neat aerial shots of the city.

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Notice of Regular Meeting
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 – 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 from April 16th and April 24th, 2012 meetings – for action
• Director’s Report

Minor Subdivision

1. Case No. 12-015MI – 157 Hope Street
The applicant is seeking preliminary plan approval to subdivide the existing vacant lot measuring 4,038 SF, into two lots measuring 7,015 SF and 7,023 SF. (College Hill AP 13 Lot 204, R-1) – for action

City Council Referral

2. Referral 3346 Petition to amend the Future Land Use Map of the Comprehensive Plan – PUBLIC HEARING
The petitioner is requesting that the Future Land Use Map of the Comprehensive Plan [.pdf] be amended so that the Neighborhood/Commercial land use designation is extended to encompass the area bounded by Cushing, Hope, Angell and Thayer Streets on Map 11.2 entitled “Future Land Use.” (College Hill) – for discussion and action

3. Referral 3347 – Petition to amend the Zoning Ordinance
Review of proposed changes to the Zoning Ordinance including amending the zoning map to create the
C-3 zone for mixed use transit oriented development, changes to dimensional and use regulations, signage and parking. The Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council – for discussion and action

Major Land Development Project

4. Case No. 12-014MA – Cedar Street Parking Structure
The applicant is seeking Master Plan Approval to construct a two level parking structure with a total of 317 parking spaces. The structure will occupy the area between Brayton Street and 50 Cedar Street. A portion of Cedar Street and Bond Street is proposed for abandonment to provide access to the parking area. The applicant has proposed Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Ordinance amendments to accommodate the development. (Federal Hill AP 26 Lots 67, 166, 167, 171, 176, 178, 182, R-G and D-2) – for action.

See previous proposal: Building proposed at 50 Cedar Street

(...)
Read the rest of City Plan Commission Meeting, May 15 (327 words)

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Notice of Regular Meeting
Monday, May 14, 2012 – 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 April 9, 2012

New Business

1. Downtown Zoning Ordinance
Report by the Acting Director on the new Downtown Zoning Ordinance.

Mirabar Nightclub on Richmond Street

2. DRC Application No. 12.9: Intersection of Pine and Richmond Street and 35 Richmond Street (Rogers Company Building) ‐ Public Hearing Proposal by Johnson and Wales University to demolish the existing building located at 35 Richmond Street and to construct a new 700‐800 car open parking structure on the site. The applicant is requesting a waiver from DRC regulations relative to the new construction.

3. DRC Application No. 12.10: 122 Fountain Street (Diocese House [aka The Sportsman's Inn])
Proposal by Heckman‐Minkoff to renovate the existing hotel building. Work includes the installation of replacement windows and doors, new storefront and entrance, new canopy, and new cornice element.

Other Business

4. Pre‐Application Review: 33 Chestnut Street (Daniel Arnold House)
Proposal by Beneficent Congregational Church, UCC to replace 41 existing windows with new windows.
This item is for discussion only. No action will be taken by the DRC at this meeting.

Adjournment

• Agenda [.pdf]

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