I-195 commission frees 1.7 acres for development

BIRD'S I VIEW: An aerial shot of the land poised for redevelopment in the wake of the I-195 relocation. About 1.7 acres once set for green space will now be available for development. / PHOTO COURTESY DOT
BIRD'S I VIEW: An aerial shot of the land poised for redevelopment in the wake of the I-195 relocation. About 1.7 acres once set for green space will now be available for development. / PHOTO COURTESY DOT

In order to get the maximum use out of the 40 acres that make up the footprint of the former Interstate 195 land in downtown Providence, about 1.7 acres once dedicated as green space will now be made available for development.
The change was approved after a three-month review by the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission on March 19. Despite the reduction, the footprint will still maintain 16.7 acres as green space, exceeding the Federal Highway Administration’s 14.5-acre requirement. According to Colin Kane, chairman of the commission, and John Kelly, vice chairman, the park portion should be completed within the next three years but the entire project will take years, perhaps more than a decade.
Faced with the task of making the most of the land use in the heart of Providence, the redevelopment commission finds itself making slow progress and is hopeful the work will become more cohesive in 2012. Defining the green space was a step in the right direction.
A 0.6-acre space off Traverse Street that was formerly identified as a park will now be combined with an adjacent parcel and be available for development. “We are not anti-parks,” Kelly said. “Using that parcel as a park didn’t make sense. That piece is near a parcel we envision will be used for real estate development, such as a condo.” Together the two individual lots total 1 acre.
Originally, Providence investigated the possibility of a series of parks across the I-195 footprint, leading from the Providence River toward the city’s south side. Those plans were dropped because it made the development of the remaining parcels more problematic, as each would be reduced in size to accommodate the green space. As a result the city created a 5.9-acre park at Eddy and Peck streets, along the west side of the Providence River, to serve as a landing for a proposed pedestrian foot bridge.
According to Kelly, the park was located on the most valuable property on the footprint. Because the plan had initially provided more than 18 acres of green space, much more than required, the commission also decided to carve two small parcels – totaling 1.1 acres – off the 5.9-acre park for development. The commission hopes the 1.1 acres no longer reserved for park space will help spark business activity along the waterfront.
“We want to activate the waterfront and include some restaurants. We have a riverfront that other cities would love to have,” Kane said.
The commission is also working through a host of concerns about the overall project.
Throughout the footprint is a unique set of problems such as narrow streets and unfavorable utility locations, including storm drains, combined sewer overflow vents and buried electric lines. They are also in the process of completing a Phase I site assessment and will be asking the R.I. Department of Environmental Management if a second phase is necessary.
On March 19, the commission signed off on DOT’s roadway plan, which maximizes the opportunities for development. They approved turning Transit Street, near South Water Street, into a walkway in order to increase the development potential of the parcels in the area. Nearby Dollar Street will be converted from a one-way to a two-way street to better accommodate traffic in the area.
Kelly said there are still about two years of DOT contracts to be completed; roads, site preparation work, working on the parks and the pedestrian foot bridge.
Although the parks will be constructed within the next few years, temporary use of the remaining parcels is not likely due to a lack of funds. Options such as athletic fields or raised-bed community gardens have been considered but dismissed.
“But we are open to suggestions because the property could sit vacant for a while,” Kelly said. •

No posts to display