Whether it fell victim to a deepening budget crisis or the fact that legislators were pre-occupied with redistricting, it is a shame a measure to create the financing necessary to build a 900-space parking garage downtown failed to gain passage during the 2002 General Assembly session.
The proposed garage would be built on an existing parking lot behind the Garrahy Courthouse, on land already owned by the state. The four-to five-story structure has been talked about for 20 years. The need for it has grown with each passing year.
This year, it looked as though the wait for the garage had finally come to an end. The governor publicly supported the proposal. The consensus among downtown developers was that its development would spur additional projects.
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But the legislature failed in the waning days of the session to approve a financing package known as "certificates of participation."
So now, the estimated $15 million parking garage is on hold. Instead, it should be on the fast track. We hope that come January the General Assembly will act quickly to put the financing package in place.
This project simply makes too much sense to allow it to fall by the wayside.
The capital city has indeed enjoyed a renaissance in recent years. New hotels, the spacious Convention Center, Waterplace Park, and Providence Place are all signs of that.
And the city’s old core has also seen a rebirth, albeit a more gradual one. Theaters such as Trinity Rep and PPAC continue to draw big crowds, as do several smaller venues located throughout the arts district. Travelers’ Aid has been relocated, Johnson & Wales University has expanded, and several formerly abandoned buildings are being rehabilitated to include both residential and retail tenants.
But this progress will slow – or worse, cease – if a basic aspect of the downtown experience is not improved. People need a place to park.
Insufficient parking is a deterrent to business – and a deterrent to recreational spending.
The parking garage at the Garrahy Courthouse is one of several ideas being bandied about. The others include one that would utilize a series of underutilized commercial lots in conjunction with the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority.
Another idea involves the construction of a parking garage at the Heritage Harbor Museum, which would also incorporate RIPTA in its version of a park-and-ride arrangement.
The parking situation downtown is serious enough that we would like to see all three ideas pursued with vigor.
Chamber post an
honor
It is fitting this week to acknowledge and applaud Larry Liebenow, president and CEO of the Quaker Fabric Corporation in Fall River.
Liebenow has been named chairman of the Board of Directors of the United States Chamber of Commerce. With the appointment, Liebenow represents concrete evidence that Southeastern New England – a small corner of the United States – can make a big impact.
Liebenow, of Providence, appears determined to be a strong voice for the business community – a voice bound to be heard in Washington, D.C. Liebenow told us that the foreign market is strong for his company – that, in fact, 20 percent of the upholstery that rolls out of his manufacturing plants is destined for factories abroad. But U.S. policy needs to change, he said, if Quaker Fabric and other American businesses are to take advantage of the same opportunities that foreign competitors enjoy.
Other issues that Liebenow and the U.S. Chamber are expected to address in the coming year include: health insurance; blocking frivolous class action lawsuits against companies and industries; eliminating barriers to international trade; pursuing immigration reform; and electing pro-business representatives to Congress.
Liebenow is taking on quite a challenge. The issues the U.S. Chamber plans to address are important ones.
We appreciate his dedication and service to the business community. And we wish he and his colleagues much success.
