Providence developments

Pawtucket mayor: Pawtucket Red Sox to leave city

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) — Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien says Pawtucket's Triple A baseball club has been sold and is leaving the city.

The mayor tells WPRO that he was briefed by the team Sunday. He did not disclose the new owners or where they will move the team.

Grebien said that until Sunday there was hope the team would remain in Pawtucket. However, he said he was presented with a plan that doesn't include Pawtucket.

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Word is that the team is moving to Providence.

Great news for Providence! I understand people's nostalgia/feelings of attachment to McCoy and the "PawSox," but I think this move is great for both Providence and the AAA Red Sox.

In terms of public transportation, Pawtucket has to rely on RIPTA buses to/from Providence, limiting the transit-riding fans to those in the Providence/Pawtucket area. Providence, on the other hand, has an Amtrak/Commuter Rail station that will greatly aid in people's ability to take transit to the games.

One of the MLB Red Sox biggest assets to the region is the fact that people spend money at local establishments while attending a game. Fans often make a "day" of going to the game, seeing what Boston has to offer, and exploring the neighborhood. While not to the same degree, this experience can be had in Providence. Fans will take the train, show up early, go out for dinner/drinks before/after the game, and explore Providence a little bit. Very few people were going to do that with Pawtucket.

Finally, McCoy, while beloved, is an outdated stadium. It is the oldest stadium in the International League, with one of the lowest capacities. Not to mention, it is lacking in the amenities and superior sight-lines of the more modern stadiums. In spite of (*not because of*) the fact that the PawSox play in an outdated stadium, in an inaccessible suburb, and still draw a good amount of fans. Building a modern stadium in Providence will be a huge asset to the team.
 
When I first looked at this I thought that it meant the team was leaving the Providence area and I just couldn't believe it. Good thing I looked again eh? This will probably be good for Providence if the team moves into the city itself, hopefully they're not moving to another suburban location though.
 
bigeman312 said:
Pawtucket mayor: Pawtucket Red Sox to leave city



Word is that the team is moving to Providence.

Great news for Providence! I understand people's nostalgia/feelings of attachment to McCoy and the "PawSox," but I think this move is great for both Providence and the AAA Red Sox.

In terms of public transportation, Pawtucket has to rely on RIPTA buses to/from Providence, limiting the transit-riding fans to those in the Providence/Pawtucket area. Providence, on the other hand, has an Amtrak/Commuter Rail station that will greatly aid in people's ability to take transit to the games.

One of the MLB Red Sox biggest assets to the region is the fact that people spend money at local establishments while attending a game. Fans often make a "day" of going to the game, seeing what Boston has to offer, and exploring the neighborhood. While not to the same degree, this experience can be had in Providence. Fans will take the train, show up early, go out for dinner/drinks before/after the game, and explore Providence a little bit. Very few people were going to do that with Pawtucket.

Finally, McCoy, while beloved, is an outdated stadium. It is the oldest stadium in the International League, with one of the lowest capacities. Not to mention, it is lacking in the amenities and superior sight-lines of the more modern stadiums. In spite of (*not because of*) the fact that the PawSox play in an outdated stadium, in an inaccessible suburb, and still draw a good amount of fans. Building a modern stadium in Providence will be a huge asset to the team.
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PawSox owners eager to build — and fast.

http://pbn.com/PawSox-owners-eager-to-build-and-fast,104201
 
New PawSox owners unveil plans for Providence ballpark

PROVIDENCE — The Pawtucket Red Sox’ new ownership group on Wednesday unveiled plans for an $85 million stadium in downtown Providence that it is billing as an economic engine and a catalyst of further development in the city.

Built along the Providence River on a combination of public land and Brown University property, the 10,000-seat ballpark could host college football, soccer, lacrosse, and hockey games, as well as outdoor concerts in summer when the Boston Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate does not have a home game.

But the plan relies on more than $4 million in state and city subsidies to help recoup the costs of building and operating the stadium, stirring the possibility of taxpayer controversy.

Team president Jim Skeffington said in a briefing at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce Wednesday that the stadium, targeted for 2017, could spur construction of a nearby hotel or even a biomedical industrial park that public officials have long envisioned for the neighborhood.

“We think it’s a game changer,” said Skeffington, a prominent Rhode Island attorney who led the club’s $20 million purchase in February by a group of 10 investors, including Red Sox president Larry Lucchino. “We think it’ll produce jobs. We think it’ll attract private capital.”

The ballpark would feature a red brick facade, a lighthouse beyond center field, and sweeping views of the river and downtown skyline. The price is only slightly higher than the $80 million spent in 2008 to renovate the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, home of the Providence Bruins.

Club owners said they would pay the full upfront cost of the ballpark project, which also features a 750-car garage that would charge $3 for parking on game days, and would cover all operating expenses.

The team would own the stadium, but not the ground on which it would be built. Skeffington proposed paying Brown and the state $1 apiece annually for use of the land. Brown’s president, Christina Paxson, has endorsed the project, but feedback from government officials wasn’t as positive.
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The article has a bunch of renders.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...e-ballpark/elhQIOx7LwNftaW4jDlcSI/story.html#
 
Hello,
Does anyone know why 111 Westminster's interior was lit up last night? (The old Industrial Trust). I can't seem to find any info anywhere.

d5193150c75440aa27b780dd59db387f_zpse8mxuet2.jpg
 
Maybe they were filming something?

It's a damn shame that building is still vacant.
 
datadyne007 said:
Maybe they were filming something?

It's a damn shame that building is still vacant.
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I know. It's a great building. It would be nice if it gained new tenants and also added an observation deck. It looks like it may have had one originally.
 
From the Providence Journal today:


PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Downtown Providence watchers may have been surprised during the last few nights to see lights on in almost all of the 1,500 windows of the Superman building, the tallest building in Rhode Island, which has been vacant and dark for about three years.
No. Nobody has moved in. And the principal owner, David C. Sweetser, is not trying to call attention to his push for a public subsidy to restore the iconic, but deteriorating building.
“When the heating system is inspected each year every office is inspected. That's why the lights are on,” Bill Fischer, a spokesman for the owner, told Journal columnist Edward Fitzpatrick.
Still, the lit-up, old building gave a fresh look to the city’s skyline on a cold, clear winter night and was another reminder that "Superman" remains a critical piece of Providence.
 
The hottest new development in Providence is Danny Amendola's carport. Danny's got your Federal period urbanism right here. Did NECN send their news helicopter down to take a look? You're damn right they did:



Watch it not snow for the next two months, rendering the carport both ugly and useless. Sorry, it's probably open thread material, but the Providence thread was just sitting right here. This is my favorite news story of all time.
 
The R-Line was actually implemented pretty well for what it was: an enhanced bus service with some nifty innovations like queue jumps. Never sold as BRT, just better than what was. So if they do that as a precursor for a future streetcar line... could be better, could be worse.
 
With other Northeast cities absolutely booming like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and even Baltimore to an extent, it baffles me why a great city like Providence is getting left in the dust. Even the tallest building can't find a tenant. Why isn't Providence considered a more desirable city to live in and invest in?

It has good proximity to Boston, especially with the train, and isn't too far from New York either. It's charming as hell, like a baby Boston with College Hill serving as the baby Cambridge. The food options are as good as any small city. It's still an affordable place to live compared to most of the rest of the Bos-Wash megalopolis. Really, I just don't get it.
 
DZH22 said:
With other Northeast cities absolutely booming like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and even Baltimore to an extent, it baffles me why a great city like Providence is getting left in the dust. Even the tallest building can't find a tenant. Why isn't Providence considered a more desirable city to live in and invest in?

It has good proximity to Boston, especially with the train, and isn't too far from New York either. It's charming as hell, like a baby Boston with College Hill serving as the baby Cambridge. The food options are as good as any small city. It's still an affordable place to live compared to most of the rest of the Bos-Wash megalopolis. Really, I just don't get it.
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I have actually been wondering the exact same thing. It doesn't make sense to me.
 
Business and government climate? As a casual observer, the news coming out of Rhode Island always smacks of "teetering on the brink." Huge budget and tax problems at the state and city levels, big time government corruption -- like raid-the-Speaker's-office big -- and colossal debacles where business and government intersect. 38 Studios will continue to echo for years to come. The empty Superman building is a self-fulfilling prophecy in some ways, a beacon of instability that looks worse the longer it persists.

All that said, I love Providence to death and find myself daydreaming about living there every time I go, which is multiple times per year. They didn't get their streetcar, but they do have 36 trains a day to Boston (counting the Amtraks) and 10 trains a day to their own airport. The PC basketball team is #12 in the country right now and selling out 12,400 seats every home game at the Dunk - there's nothing comparable to that happening in Boston right now, with two blah pro teams and no college team capable of captivating Boston the same way. March Madness is coming to Providence in, well, March. Providence has a ton going for it right now. Would really love to see them turn the corner.
 
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