Five Questions With: Kate Michaud

KATE MICHAUD is the town planner in Warren, where the downtown recently was selected as one of the nation’s 15 Great Places in America by the American Planning Association. / COURTESY KATE MICHAUD
KATE MICHAUD is the town planner in Warren, where the downtown recently was selected as one of the nation’s 15 Great Places in America by the American Planning Association. / COURTESY KATE MICHAUD

Kate Michaud is the town planner in Warren, where the downtown recently was selected as one of the nation’s 15 Great Places in America by the American Planning Association. In this national designation, the town shares billing with Midtown Atlanta, Downtown Santa Ana, Calif. Old Louisville in Louisville, Ky. and Nob Hill in Albuquerque, N.M. In a response submitted to Providence Business News, Michaud discusses the new accolades.
PBN: What is the definition of the Warren downtown? Is it the traditional Main Street area?
MICHAUD:
For the purposes of this designation, we defined downtown Warren as being bounded by Warren Bridge and Belcher Cove to the north, Cutler Street to the east, Bridge Street to the south and the Warren River to the west. That includes Main Street itself, Water Street and the adjacent waterfront, the downtown historic district, the East Bay Bike Path and several mill complexes that have been or are being developed for adaptive reuse (businesses, art studios and residences). Everyone in town seems to define the area a little differently. While our farms and open spaces are outside of the downtown geographic area, they are certainly part of the overall vibe.
PBN: What did the judges say about the downtown specifically?
MICHAUD:
The American Planning Association commented on the town’s strong community involvement, history and unique sense of place. They also noted the explosion in the “foodie” scene and local eco-friendly initiatives such as Solarize Warren, which created a collective buying pool for solar array installations.
PBN: How has the downtown changed in the past 10 years? Have more independent businesses moved in?
MICHAUD:
Strong community groups, food and the arts have all helped to reshape the downtown over the past 10 years. The redevelopment of the Town Wharf, including the opening of Trafford’s Restaurant, Muse and The Café join a Water Street revival complete with several new restaurants and specialty independent retail offerings. In 2013, Second Story Theater purchased the Liberty Street School to expand operations, and also created a second performance space within their current building. Other significant projects include the establishment of the popular Blount’s Clam Shack and the renovation of the Handkerchief Factory into a 72,000-square-foot commercial mixed-use facility. The renovation of the historic Cutler Mills added another 168,000 square feet of affordable business, office, artist and artisan space. Unlike many downtowns, downtown Warren also offers both public access to the waterfront and thriving industrial uses, such as Blount Shipbuilding. One of the most recent additions to downtown is Hope & Main; R.I.’s first food business incubator. In its short, two-year history, Hope & Main has already spurred the development of many small, independent businesses. While we are excited about these new community members, we cannot forget the staples of the business community that define Warren’s character and have called downtown home for generations. Places such as Delekta’s Pharmacy, which has operated in town since 1858 and offers famously delicious coffee cabinets, continue to make Warren a destination.
PBN: Did the city enact zoning changes or permit changes that encouraged business in downtown areas?
MICHAUD:
The sale of the Main Street School to Hope & Main required a vote of the people of Warren at a Special Town Meeting. The sale received overwhelming support, symbolizing strong community encouragement of small business development. While not a zoning change, this process represented an even higher hurdle to development of the project. Regulatory changes have sought to incentivize preservation of important historic resources. The majority of Downtown Warren is located within a National Historic Register District. The town’s Voluntary Historic Preservation Program offers tax credits to help property owners fund improvements to historically significant structures. Town staff is currently wrapping up LEAN training, facilitated through a grant from the R.I. Commerce Corp. This training teaches us to assess and propose changes to streamline our processes with the goal of making business licensing and permitting more user-friendly and efficient.
PBN: What has been the reaction since this recognition?
MICHAUD:
We have received a great reaction to this recognition, but this is only a small part of the awakening of Warren’s economic potential. Projects such as the American Tourister redevelopment project (renovation of a historic mill complex into 290 dwellings and 90,000 square feet of commercial and office space) were already underway. Warren has already been recognized as a “foodie haven” and as a home to a growing and thriving industrial sector. Manufacturing in Warren has posted an 18 percent increase in employment and a 24 percent increase in wages when comparing the first quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of 2016. Overall employment in town is up 6 percent and wages are up 11 percent.

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