195 Providence Innovation & Design District

87BFF968-39D1-4B17-8212-6228FB74D064.jpeg
luxury housing and a parking lot
3BCD9746-56EE-47FA-BBE4-D3652724E5EE.jpegB8DA01B4-094B-44DF-AAA0-4ECC1351EDEB.jpeg
corporate office space for a signal tenant, workforce house and ground floor retail
 
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.

Screen Shot 2022-06-19 at 6.52.56 PM.png
 
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."
 
lilrhody said:
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
Click to expand...
lilrhody said:
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."
Click to expand...
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.
 
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.

1663939300272.png



Corporate HQ, apartment project picked for vacant Fox Point land
pbn.com

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



195 offramp realignment.png
 
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.

1663941755661.png
 
BBascule said:
It is. I thought your username sounded familiar.

I'd forgotten all about that forum!
Click to expand...
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?
 
Frankie811 said:
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?
Click to expand...

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.
 
BBascule said:
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.
Click to expand...
BBascule said:
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.
Click to expand...
That's it, GCPVD! Thanks! It was pretty dead the last time that I looked.
 
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.
 
To be fair they do identify to facilitate growth.
 
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.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top