An 11-member panel appointed by Mayor David N. Cicilline has chosen two finalists in a competition for what the mayor called a “once-in-a-life-time opportunity” to design two major waterfront parks spanning eight acres along the Providence River.
“Today’s announcement brings us one step closer to creating the most significant new public space in Providence since the completion of Waterplace Park,” Mayor Cicilline said Wednesday at the unveiling of the finalists. “In the past, creating these kinds of parks had always been a top-down, closed door process. This park is being designed with unprecedented public input and judged by a group of qualified and dedicated members of our community.”
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The land will become available when Interstate 195 is relocated, and it will be “the most significant new public space in Providence since the completion of Waterplace Park,” Cicilline said. Sixteen teams entered the design competition, and a team of business leaders, artists, parents, environmental advocates, design experts, and others chose the top two.
The process is anonymous, so the teams are identified just by numbers. The winning design will receive $3,000 prize; the other finalist will receive $1,000.
The public is invited to a special presentation at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20, at the Roger Williams Park Casino, where residents and others can learn more about the competition and the selected designs.
The designs will be on public display at the Roger Williams Park Casino Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Monday, Sept. 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. They also can be viewed online at www.providenceri.com.
The R.I. Department of Transportation has earmarked nearly $4.5 million for the parks in a partnership with the city, and has agreed to use the winning design. Public comments are being solicited through Oct. 15.
