Archives For Waterfront

Notice of Regular Meeting
Tuesday, May 21, 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 April 23, 2013 meeting – for action
  • Director’s Report

City Council Referral

1. Referral 3362 – Petition for zone change from R-2 to M-1 at 230 Carolina Ave. Petition to rezone the property at 230 Carolina Ave from R-2 to M-1 subject to the use of the property being restricted to parking – for action (AP 58 lots 704-724, 726 and 730, Washington Park)

2. Referral 3363 – An ordinance in amendment of the Downtown Providence Renewal Official Redevelopment Plan Review of the amendment, which proposes acquisition and redevelopment of the building at 94 Washington Street, for conformance with the Comprehensive Plan – for action (AP 25 Lot 354, Downtown)

The “Narrow Building

3. Referral 3364 – Petition to abandon a portion of Beach Ave. Petition to abandon the portion of Beach Ave along the eastern edge of the property at AP 17 Lot 416 – for action (Fox Point)

Beach Avenue appears to be a paper street which runs along the Seekonk Riverfront from the Gano Street off-ramp from 195 to Fremont Street. Lot 416 sits along Gano Street between the off-ramp and East Transit Street. The existence of that street would allow for public access to the water.

Minor Land Development Project

4. Case No. 13-014 MI – 207 Waterman Street (Preliminary Plan Stage) The applicant is proposing to demolish the existing building to construct a four story (50 feet), 30 unit multifamily development on a lot measuring approximately 11,677 SF. The applicant is proposing to provide 23 internal parking spaces, 45 are required. The development will require dimensional relief from height, parking and density requirements – for action (AP 14 Lot 516, Wayland)

Adjournment

GC: Photos

gcpvd —  May 12, 2013 — Leave a comment

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

Untitled

Photo © e_pics

Swan

Photo © Armadillo Commander

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ProJo: Project for Kettle Point, long at rest, on the move

kettle-point-1

Rendering of Kettle Point by Union Studio Architecture & Community Design

Tuesday night, the city’s Waterfront District Commission unanimously approved the 40-acre, 407-unit, $75-million Kettle Point development.

The project developer is Churchill & Banks of Providence. Richard Baccari II, the firm’s executive vice president, said that after state permits are obtained, construction would begin this summer. A year later, the first residents would arrive.

GC: Photos

gcpvd —  May 5, 2013 — Leave a comment

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

DSCN4212

Photo © lddana51two

Signs

Photo © Armadillo Commander

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GC: Photos

gcpvd —  April 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

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

Untitled

Photo © provbenson2009

Manchester Street Power Station

Photo © Frank C. Grace (Trig Photography)

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GC: Photos

gcpvd —  March 24, 2013 — Leave a comment

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

Charles Lippitt House

Photo © rilurky

Providence River / Iway Bridge

Photo © Frank C. Grace (Trig Photography)

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GC: Photos

gcpvd —  March 16, 2013 — Leave a comment

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

<i>Providence Art Club</i>

Photo © h ssan

Skating

Photo © Armadillo Commander

Recycling

Photo © rilurky

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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.

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PBN: I-195 Commission approves plans for new park

2012 1123 195 park west side

Rendering by GLA

The design, approved by commissioners Monday, includes a mix of lawns, paths and public gathering areas in land between Peck, Dyer and Ship streets that was once covered by the old highway overpass.

The park plan was remade by the city and its consultants this year on the request of the I-195 Commission after members learned they could develop an additional parcel originally set aside for the parks. The new buildable lot is between the park, Dorrance Street, Dyer Street and Ship Street.

News & Notes

gcpvd —  November 8, 2012 — Leave a comment

→ The Atlantic Cities: 8 Urban Policy Ideas for Obama’s 2nd Term

If you look at any electoral map, it is clear that Democrats dominate in urban, walkable places. Republicans dominate in the countryside and do well in the suburbs — especially in the South, the corn belt, and the Rocky Mountain states.

The problem for Republicans is that the electorate is increasingly urban. Young people want to live in walkable, urban places, and they see elected officials ignoring their concerns. Millennials are aligning themselves with growing urban minorites — African Americans, hispanics, and Asian-Americans — who identify strongly with the Democratic Party.


→ Better Cities & Towns: The electorate becomes urban — will the Republican Party adapt?

If you look at any electoral map, it is clear that Democrats dominate in urban, walkable places. Republicans dominate in the countryside and do well in the suburbs — especially in the South, the corn belt, and the Rocky Mountain states.

The problem for Republicans is that the electorate is increasingly urban. Young people want to live in walkable, urban places, and they see elected officials ignoring their concerns. Millennials are aligning themselves with growing urban minorites — African Americans, hispanics, and Asian-Americans — who identify strongly with the Democratic Party.


Continue Reading…