Rep. Joseph Solomon Jr., D-Warwick, recently spoke to the Providence Business News about a bill he co-sponsored that will require General Assembly approval for any redevelopment involving the Statehouse lawn.
The bill, which cleared the House Judiciary Committee last week, originally was introduced in 2017, when a proposal by the R.I. Department of Transportation would have placed a transit hub on a portion of the site. Called H 5100, it is co-sponsored by Rep. Thomas E. Noret, D-Coventry, and affects the land between Smith, Gaspee and Francis streets.
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PBN: What will this bill do?
SOLOMON: This legislation would prohibit development on the Statehouse lawn without General Assembly approval beforehand. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure no one entity can unilaterally decide to develop the Statehouse lawn without consulting the General Assembly.
What prompted it was a few years back … there was a project to create an intermodal station and develop a fairly large portion of the Statehouse lawn. I was surprised when I read that because there was no consultation – that they could just go ahead. I wanted to put the brakes on and give an opportunity to review what could potentially take place on the Statehouse lawn.
PBN: Has anything new popped up as a proposal?
SOLOMON: [No]. I first introduced the legislation in [2017]. It passed the House [in previous years]. I haven’t heard of anything since then, but it’s obviously something I want to get passed.
PBN: Why are the Statehouse grounds so important? Does it have importance beyond green space?
SOLOMON: It’s more than symbolic. It’s more than iconic. It’s over 100 years of history and an important reminder to every legislator and public official of the importance of what is done here. It’s not ever to be bought and sold.
PBN: There is a parking lot on the lawn. In retrospect, was that a development mistake?
SOLOMON: That parking was before my time. There wasn’t even a place for the public to park. I wouldn’t say it was a mistake. The thing with a parking lot, you can easily put grass over it at some point and restore it. Whereas, if you’re putting up new structures, I find it difficult to remove a Kennedy Plaza type of structure from the Statehouse lawn. It’s a little bit different.
PBN: Tell me how long you have been a legislator and are you particularly interested in development issues?
SOLOMON: I was elected in 2014. I took office in 2015. I am the chairman of [the House Corporations Committee]. I’ve been in office for six years. I represent Warwick District 22, [which includes] the Warwick Neck, Oakland Beach, Rocky Point area. I understand and I do support economic development in the state. But when it comes to the Statehouse lawn, that’s a certain piece of property that once lost, we’ll never be able to get back again. Whether you agree with protests or rallies, or disagree, the importance of having a place for them to occur – it’s just so important.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at MacDonald@PBN.com.
