More mixed-use development should be encouraged

BEST-LAID PLANS: Providence Planning Director Ruben Flores-Marzan says is exploring re-writing some zoning codes to stay in line with trends in planning. / COURTESY PROVIDENCE  PLANNING DEVELOPMENT
BEST-LAID PLANS: Providence Planning Director Ruben Flores-Marzan says is exploring re-writing some zoning codes to stay in line with trends in planning. / COURTESY PROVIDENCE PLANNING DEVELOPMENT

Providence Director of Planning Ruben Flores-Marzan arrived in Providence from his native Puerto Rico days before a February storm dumped 2 feet of snow on the city. Determined to test the city’s “walkability,” Flores-Marzan sprained his knee negotiating a sidewalk snow bank.
Flores-Marzan’s arrival comes as city leaders look to harness underutilized land for badly needed economic growth and businesses complaining that permitting can be as difficult to navigate as a snowstorm. Now in his fourth month on the job after taking over for longtime planning director Thomas Deller, Flores-Marzan discusses his vision for making Providence a more vital, walkable city.

PBN: What is the biggest difference, from a planning perspective, between Providence and Puerto Rico?
FLORES-MARZAN: Providence is much more walkable, so planning concerns are more design-oriented versus San Juan and Puerto Rico, which is much more concerned with regional development, agriculture, renewable energy, regional and transportation options. The original settlements in San Juan were near the coastline, which is similar to Providence, but obviously Puerto Rico is an entire country versus just a city. The trends in Puerto Rico are governed by the preponderance of private automobiles, people choosing to buy a car and live wherever they are qualified to live.

PBN: What are your priorities as planning director?
FLORES-MARZAN: We are very concerned with the economic-development plan from the mayor and economic-development director. If you take a look at that document, there are a number of places where the planning department can be very useful in providing information and recommendations. One is the streetcar project. That is a very important priority if we can get funding. Another area is design and physical-planning elements, such as the rewrite of the zoning ordinance. In prior years they’ve taken a look at separate pieces and we want to have a comprehensive look and comprehensive rewrite so the development that occurs in Providence is more consistent with the planning techniques of the 21st century, in terms of sustainability, walkability and ensuring that buildings are energy efficient.

PBN: On the streetcar, as the mayor looks for funding, what work does the planning department still have to do?
FLORES-MARZAN: We continue to gather different trends and different language coming from the U.S. Department of Transportation. We are available to the city to help translate some of those technical terms. … As far as planning, we are there. The route that has been identified would work if we had the funding in place.

PBN: Where are we in the cycle of re-examining and rewriting the zoning code?
FLORES-MARZAN: We have retained a consultant and are meeting now to set out the scope of the project and line up what comes first. The effort is citywide and it should take 14 months to conduct it, because we want stakeholders to give their input and be heard.

- Advertisement -

PBN: And what is the objective?
FLORES-MARZAN: We want to be consistent with the newer trends in the planning profession. The demographic composition of the country is getting older and that has consequences for the city. We need to incentivize compact development, walkable development, a mix of uses so people don’t have to commute as long to get to jobs or a gallon of milk; to be closer to where you live. So we are trying to have a zoning ordinance that allows us to do that.

PBN: A proposed urban farm-supply store on Broadway has run into some zoning problems. Some people have said it is an example of the regulations being too strict. Do you see an issue there?
FLORES-MARZAN: From a procedural standpoint, the zoning code was appropriate; there weren’t problems with the zoning. The judge threw out the approval because of abutter notification. Here in Providence the proponents are responsible for the notifications. It was unfortunate because that use is in line with sustainability principals and getting food closer to where you live. But I don’t see it as a problem of land use and zoning designations.

PBN: What role do you see yourself playing with the Interstate 195 redevelopment?
FLORES-MARZAN: We are providing the planning perspective. … We are always available and I have sat in on three commission meetings already.

PBN: Another part of the mayor’s economic plan is to reduce the number of surface parking lots in the city. What are you going to do to help?
FLORES-MARZAN: We are doing a vacant- and underutilized-land analysis in the downtown area so people have an idea of the parcels we are looking at, the square footage and the different things we can do from a planning perspective to entice developers to work with us and design proper uses for these properties – things that will create more vitality at the street level, such as residences, shops and restaurants. The land analysis will take a look at all the different parts of the city, because there are other parcels in places we would like to see something get going. •

INTERVIEW
Ruben Flores-Marzan
Position: Providence director of planning
Background: A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Flores-Marzan began his planning career in Florida before moving back to his hometown to become state planning director. Last year, Providence Mayor Angel Taveras made him city planning director.
Education: Bachelor’s in geography from the University of Puerto Rico in 1996; master’s in urban planning and master’s in urban geography from Akron University, 1999
First job: Teaching swimming in summer camp
Residence: Providence
Age: 45

No posts to display