Correction: The I-195 Redevelopment District Commission has withdrawn its request for a city abandonment of four historical former streets, or “gangways,” traversing one of its parcels.
The March 19 request to withdraw the petition for abandonment of the streets came four days after Providence City Council had referred the matter to a subcommittee.
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Peter McNally, executive director of the commission, said several stakeholders had raised concerns about the status of the gangways, including historic preservation groups, and he wanted a chance to meet with them and others in the neighborhood before the council process unfolded.
“We’ve withdrawn it until we can talk to the stakeholder groups,” he said.
The story below published Thursday did not reflect the current status of the proposal.
PROVIDENCE – Four historical former streets, called “gangways,” that cross a parcel of the Interstate 195 Redevelopment District should be abandoned by the city because they are no longer needed and are hindering clear title for a sale, according to a request submitted to the Providence City Council.
Peter McNally, executive director of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, submitted a petition to the council on Feb. 23, seeking the abandonment of four historical streets that now exist on planning maps only. The affected land is Parcel 1A, a narrow 0.28-acre property between South Water Street and the Providence River.
The four streets are: Coin Street Gangway, Patriot Street Gangway, Doubloon Street Gangway and an unnamed gangway running through the property.
The council on March 15 referred the request to the council finance committee without comment.
The state law that created the I-195 district intended Parcel 1A to be redeveloped for commercial, institutional, residential and beneficial use, McNally wrote.
“It was the intention of the Act that the parcels shown on the plat be conveyed free of existing city streets so that the parcels could be sold by the district, but formal abandonment by the city is necessary so that the district can convey good and marketable title, free of such streets and other rights,” he explained.
Under the I-195 district development guidelines for Parcel 1A, the ground floor development of any project was expected to have a historical alignment with the former gangways, through the use of signs, pavement markings or other interpretive elements.
In October 2017, the commission gave a Massachusetts development team initial approval for construction of a boutique hotel, the River View Hotel, on the site. The action was intended to give the developer authority to pursue required state approvals and complete architectural drawings.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
