Development

Providence Mayor Angel Taveras has streamlined zoning regulations for the development of the Interstate 195 corridor as well as the city’s Knowledge District, Taveras announced Wednesday. May 16

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family home reached 29 this month on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, the highest reading since May 2007, according to the National Association of Home Builders. May 15

The Plastics Group of America has entered into an agreement to purchase the Jules Desurmont Worsted Mill in order to add 240,000 square feet of space to its operations, the company announced late Monday. May 15

The Procaccianti Group is counting on upscale amenities and a hometown advantage to build 192 high-end rental apartments on a property in western Cranston that has confounded multifamily-development plans before. May 12

Rhode Island College breaks ground May 4 on a $17 million art-center renovation and expansion. From left: Tony Ventetoulo, chief operating officer, ABM Group; Steven DePasquale, president, Iron Construction Group; Mark Schatz, principal, Schwartz/Silver; RIC President Nancy Carriuolo; David Finney, president, Design Partnership of Cambridge; Gov. Lincoln D Chafee; William Gearhart, RIC vice president of administration and finance; Jane Sherman, member of the Board of Governors for Higher Education; William Martin, chair and professor of RIC art department and Stephen Fisher, RIC professor of art. May 12

Grow Smart Rhode Island presented its inaugural Smart Growth Awards to 12 different people and projects during its 4th biennial Power of Place Summit. May 11

Although the Providence-New Bedford-Fall River metro area holds only 0.5 percent of the nation’s 11.5 million manufacturing jobs, the metro area ranked 28th out of 100 in the U.S. for number of manufacturing jobs according to a new report comparing the largest metro areas in the country by the Brookings Institute. May 10

The Providence Preservation Society has released its list of the 10 most endangered properties in Providence. May 9

The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Chairman Cedric Cromwell said the proposed $500 million resort gambling casino will provide a lasting economic boost to the city and state, according to the Taunton Gazette. May 9

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has proposed $117,740 in fines against Raymond J. Cawley Contracting Inc. for cave-in hazards at a Middletown construction site. May 4