Archives For Angel Taveras

Bike to Work Day: Mayor announces expanded Cyclovía program for 2013

gcpvd —  May 17, 2013 — 4 Comments

Bike To Work Day: Mayor announces expanded Cyclovía program for 2013

mayor-bike

Photo from Mayor Taveras’ Facebook Page

Las September, Providence had it’s first Cyclovía on Broad Street. At this morning’s Bike To Work Day, the Mayor announced an expanded list of Cyclovías in Providence for 2013.

City to hold three Cyclovías this summer

Speaking at this morning’s Bike to Work Day community celebration, Mayor Angel Taveras announced the city will host an expanded schedule of Providence Cyclovía events this summer.

“Cyclovía Providence will provide an opportunity for residents from every corner of the city to come together, exercise, have fun and enjoy all that Providence has to offer,” said Mayor Taveras.

Cyclovía is an international phenomenon that reportedly began in Bogotá, Colombia and has spread to cities across the globe, including New York City, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and Cambridge, MA.

Project for Public Spaces, a nonprofit planning organization, has described Cyclovía as a large-scale community building exercise that facilitates social interaction and activity between people of all ages, incomes, occupations, religions and races.

The City held its first Cyclovía in September 2012 on Broad Street. The 2013 Cyclovías will be expanded to the following dates and locations:

  • Sunday, June 30 – Broad St. in Elmwood (between Thurbers Ave. and Prairie Ave.)
  • Sunday, July 28 – Valley St. in Olneyville (between San Souci Dr. and Atwells Ave.)
  • Saturday, September 14 – Hope St. in the East Side (between Lippitt Park and Rochambeau Ave.)

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In Bicycles, Recreation , , ,
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Developing: Mayor’s Economic Report

Jef Nickerson —  March 27, 2013 — 19 Comments

taveras

Mayor Taveras unveiling his economic development plan this morning. Photo from the Mayor’s Facebook page

Mayor Taveras is unveiling his Economic Development Reportpdf.

Update: Media reports

Update: Press release from the Mayor’s Office

Pledging Action, Mayor Taveras Outlines Plan to Grow Providence’s Economy

‘Putting Providence Back to Work’ report presents roadmap to improve the business climate, infrastructure and human capital in Rhode Island’s Capital City

PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Angel Taveras today announced a 20-step economic development action plan to put Providence residents back to work and jumpstart the economy of Rhode Island’s Capital City.

The Mayor said that Providence’s economy must be built on the success of a broad range of industries and sectors, and pledged swift action to improve Providence’s business climate, infrastructure and human capital.

“When we work together, we can compete head to head with any city or state in this country,” said Mayor Taveras. “Nothing will change minds about Providence as much as continuing our track record of success.”
The Mayor outlined five immediate steps his administration will pursue to support and grow Providence’s economy:

  1. Freeze the commercial tax rate – The Taveras administration will work with the Providence City Council to enact a seven-year commercial real estate tax freeze that guarantees consistency and stability for developers in Rhode Island and beyond.


    “Freezing our commercial property tax rate will send a message that Providence is serious about attracting new business. We look forward to the day when economic growth in our City enables us to actually lower Providence’s commercial rate,” Mayor Taveras said.

  2. Fix the City’s Permitting Process – Contained in the FY14 budget that Mayor Taveras will present to the City Council next month are two positions to staff a new unit in the Department of Inspections and Standards focused solely on reviewing and approving small-permit applications of under $100,000. These small projects account for 75 percent of all permit applications in the City.


    Additionally, this summer the City will move its permit application process online. For the first time, developers will only need to log onto the City’s website to apply for a permit and get status updates on their applications.

  3. Remove Barriers to Redevelopment – The City will conduct an inventory of all major properties in need of redevelopment. For properties that are not defined as historic landmarks, the City will put on a fast-track for approval all projects to replace existing structures with new construction.

    “We recognize that the City has an important role to play in facilitating new development. It is time to get cranes in the air and put people to work rebuilding our city,” Mayor Taveras said.

  4. Develop Surface Lots Citywide – To stimulate real estate development and ease the crunch on parking downtown, the Taveras administration will work with the City Council to provide tax stabilizations to developers who commit to new development on existing surface lots. New construction on an existing lot will be taxed based on the property’s current assessed value. This program will create jobs, incentivize new, mixed-use developments, and spur new investment on Providence’s major commercial corridors.

  5. Reinvent Kennedy Plaza – The City will work with the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy, RIPTA and other public and private partners to reconfigure and reduce the number of buses in the Plaza and transform it into a pedestrian destination.

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In Economy, Government , , , , , , , ,
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So, the Mayor said this…

gcpvd —  March 20, 2013 — 19 Comments

On Channel 10 News Conference as reported by RINPR regarding the Superman Building…

The use that I really don’t want to see happen, but we have to put everything on the table is, is it more efficient to take it down and put something else up? I think that would be a tragedy in the sense it’s part of our history.

Discuss…

In Buildings , , , ,
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St. Joseph’s Day celebration at Providence City Hall today

gcpvd —  March 19, 2013 — Leave a comment

zeppole

Photo from LaSalle Bakery

Mayor Taveras to Host Annual St. Joseph’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras will host the annual St. Joseph’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall this afternoon. General Secretary and Treasurer of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, Armand Sabitoni, will be the honorary guest speaker at this year’s celebration on the second and third floors of City Hall. There will be traditional Italian musical performances by Bill Moretti and Domenic DePasquale and Rev. Dean Perri of the Catholic Diocese of Providence will deliver an invocation.

WHO: Providence Mayor Angel Taveras; Armand Sabitoni; Reverend Dean Perri
WHAT: Annual St. Joseph’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall
WHEN: Tuesday, March 19, 2013, 1-1:30 pm
WHERE: Second and third floors, Providence City Hall

In Events , , ,
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St. Patrick’s Day celebration at Providence City Hall today

gcpvd —  March 15, 2013 — Leave a comment

city-hall-green

Mayor Taveras to Host Annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras will host the annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall this afternoon. Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin will be the honorary guest speaker at this year’s formal celebration on the second and third floors of City Hall. City Hall will be filled with traditional musical and dance performances by the Providence Police Department Pipes and Drums and the Goulding School of Irish Dance. Rev. Timothy Reilly of the Catholic Diocese of Providence will deliver a blessing and invocation and Mayor Taveras will present a Mayoral Citation to the Providence St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee.

WHO: Providence Mayor Angel Taveras; Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin; Reverend Timothy Reilly
WHAT: Annual St. Patrick’s Day Celebration at Providence City Hall
WHEN: Friday, March 15, 2013, 1-1:30 pm
WHERE: 2nd floor, Providence City Hall

In Events , , , ,
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Providence Named as Grand Prize Winner in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge

bloombergMayor Angel Taveras joined today with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to announce that the City of Providence is the grand prize winner in the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge, a competition to inspire American cities to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life – and that ultimately can be shared with other cities to improve the well-being of the nation. Providence was selected as a Mayors Challenge winner out of a pool of over 300 applicant cities, based on four criteria: vision, ability to implement, potential for impact, and potential for replication.

Providence will be awarded a $5 million innovation prize to implement its idea to improve the vocabularies of preschool-age children throughout the City by measuring and rapidly increasing the number of words spoken in their households. Providence will also receive a sculpture created by world-renowned designer Olafur Eliasson to commemorate each of the Mayors Challenge winners.


See also:

Posted by gcpvd on March 13, 2013 In Education , , ,
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Vote for Providence in Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge

gcpvd —  March 5, 2013 — Leave a comment

Providence is one of 20 finalists in the Bloomberg Philanthropies Mayors Challenge. Mayor Taveras has submitted a plan to increase school readiness and literacy for the city’s youngest children. See the video below outlining the Mayor’s plan and head to the Huffington Post to vote. Voting ends tomorrow.

See also: Bloomberg Philanthropies

In Charity, Government , , ,
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Newsmakers: Housing crisis with Mayor Angel Taveras

gcpvd —  March 3, 2013 — 6 Comments

Newsmakers 2/28: Housing crisis with Mayor Angel Taveras

In Government, Housing, Media, Video , , , , , ,
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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…

In Development, Economy, Government , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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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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