195 Providence Innovation & Design District

[nicanbot]

‪Easiest choice ever with new 195 district parcel 8 proposals… https://www.195district.com/documents/‬

 

[nicanbot]

luxury housing and a parking lot

corporate office space for a signal tenant, workforce house and ground floor retail

 

[ctsketch]

View attachment 25485
luxury housing and a parking lot
View attachment 25486View attachment 25487
corporate office space for a signal tenant, workforce house and ground floor retail

Workforce and retail

 

[lilrhody]

I find the Churchill & Banks proposal to be just awful from an aesthetic standpoint. The building has no character and the massing has been done in a way that looks contrived and inelegant. I like that it reaches 10 stories but just can't get behind such bad design. It's disappointing that ZDS keeps churning out such crappy design work.

 

[lilrhody]

The Churchill & Banks proposal sells a benefit of their project "an increase in parking to the area which is currently severely under parked," really hitting home their commitment to "neighborhood activation."

 

[nicanbot]

I-195 Commission hears dueling proposals for vacant Fox Point property

PROVIDENCE – A 10-story tower of luxury, owner-occupied condos or a financial service firm’s new corporate headquarters. These were the competing projects for a swath of prime riverfront real estate presented to the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission Wednesday. The pitches mark the first...

pbn.com

 

[Frankie811]

I find the Churchill & Banks proposal to be just awful from an aesthetic standpoint. The building has no character and the massing has been done in a way that looks contrived and inelegant. I like that it reaches 10 stories but just can't get behind such bad design. It's disappointing that ZDS keeps churning out such crappy design work.

View attachment 25628

The Churchill & Banks proposal sells a benefit of their project "an increase in parking to the area which is currently severely under parked," really hitting home their commitment to "neighborhood activation."

I'll embrace just about any design at this point that doesn't include bricks. Enough with the bricks already! An architect made the comment one day that Providence isn't Sturbridge Village. Well said.

 

[New England Born & Raised]

The commission unanimously selected the corporate office and workforce housing proposal from D+P Real Estate for parcels 8 and 8A development. These lots are at the end of S Main St near Route 195 and its exit right next to the new Trader Joe's.

Corporate HQ, apartment project picked for vacant Fox Point land

Corporate HQ, apartment project picked for vacant Fox Point land

PROVIDENCE – Plans to develop vacant riverfront land with corporate office headquarters and mixed-income apartments advanced Wednesday, after the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission selected the preferred developer for the land known as Parcel 8 and 8A. The project by D+P Real Estate Inc...

pbn.com

 

[BBascule]

Here are the renderings. The designs were updated to incorporate feedback from the first presentation.



View from 195

View looking Southwest

 

[BBascule]

It's subtle, but one of the better things to come out of these developments will be the realignment of the 195 West offramp

 

[New England Born & Raised]

The apartments in the upper floors on Tockwotten Street will have spectacular southern views of the waterfront. Should be able to easily see the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse on the island just off the East Bay Bike Trail.

 

[Frankie811]

It's subtle, but one of the better things to come out of these developments will be the realignment of the 195 West offramp



View attachment 28744

I wasn't aware of the future off-ramp option. Is this BBascule from UrbanPlanet?

 

[BBascule]

It is. I thought your username sounded familiar.

I'd forgotten all about that forum!

 

[Frankie811]

It is. I thought your username sounded familiar.

I'd forgotten all about that forum!

Our fearless leader Cotuit abandon Urban Planet for another PVD group whose name I can't remember. He then left that group. Do you know what group I'm talking about?

 

[BBascule]

Our fearless leader Cotuit abandon Urban Planet for another PVD group whose name I can't remember. He then left that group. Do you know what group I'm talking about?

I sort of lost track of everyone after UrbanPlanet. Cotuit did put a lot of energy into his blog, gcpvd, and documented Providence architecture, planning, and policy for a few years.

 

[Frankie811]

I sort of lost track of everyone after UrbanPlanet. Cotuit did put a lot of energy into his blog, gcpvd, and documented Providence architecture, planning, and policy for a few years.

I sort of lost track of everyone after UrbanPlanet. Cotuit did put a lot of energy into his blog, gcpvd, and documented Providence architecture, planning, and policy for a few years.

That's it, GCPVD! Thanks! It was pretty dead the last time that I looked.

 

[BBascule]

BankRI identified as tenant for Parcel 8/8A corporate space.



BankRI to build new headquarters in Providence (probably partially paywalled)

 

[New England Born & Raised]

BankRI would just be moving a short distance from the Turks Head Building. This job move scenario is similar to the proposed new state lab. New jobs are not being created and lured to the city's Knowledge & Innovation District. These developments are more akin to rearranging the already existing furniture in your home. Disappointed that NEW jobs are not being created.

 

[nicanbot]

To be fair they do identify to facilitate growth.

 

[New England Born & Raised]

Some downtown Providence landlords have in the last few days spoken out about the incentives that the 195 Knowledge & Innovation District is using to entice development. Not surprisingly, the Turk's Head Building (which is losing its biggest tenant - BankRI to the district) owner is one of them. The downtown area's biggest landlord and former mayor, Joe Paolino is also voicing his anger. The loss of office workers in the downtown core means empty space lowering rental rates and less foot traffic for other businesses.

I do not have a solution. I am sure the district would like to attract new outside businesses instead of plucking them from elswhere downtown. Unfortunately, outside business does not seem to be interested in the district. It was hoped that the lower costs in Providence would have attracted Boston area businesses. That however does not appear to have happened.