A year and a half after first unveiling his concept for a new cities plan, Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci, Jr. last week presented detailed redevelopment plans that will incorporate green spaces, residential and commercial uses. The plans for these new office, retail, residential and green spaces are on a scale so large that the targeted areas are called, “New Cities.” Augmenting his plans for the more than 500 acres of deteriorating industrial property in the city were an 11-minute film, and presentations by each of the consultants who developed the plans.
Narragansett Landing, the 200-acre site along Allens Avenue is the first of these “New Cities.” The mile-long stretch of waterfront property was proposed as a future home to four million square feet of office space, 2,500 residential units, 1,000 hotel rooms and a Museum of Narragansett Bay, creating 16,000 new jobs, 6,500 new residents and $50 million in new tax revenue. According to Cianci, there are currently less than 200 jobs in the area, which collects less than $2 million in tax revenue. The master plan for Narragansett Landing was put together by Sasaki Associates of Watertown, Mass.
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Also proposed for the area is a 500-slip marina, a 15-acre public garden where concerts could be held, and a 20-acre greenway to Roger Williams Park. Although the most challenging of the “New Cities”, according to Cianci, it would also generate the most revenue.
The Promenade, which is the 175-acre site located west of Providence Place, running along the Woonasquatucket River, is the second of the “cities” for which plans have been developed. The proposal, put together by Urban Strategies of Toronto, Canada, includes 80-acres of new green space along the river corridor and four new pedestrian walkways over the highway.
A river-spanning hotel called “Hotel Ponte Vecchio”, after the famous bridge and shops in Florence, Italy, is also in the works for the Promenade. An enclosed walkway will link this 300-room hotel to the mall, and ideally gondolas will pass under the arched bridges leading to the hotel entrances, further paralleling Providence to Florence. The development of the Promenade will also include 2.2 million square feet of office space, and 400,000 square feet of retail space with two new business parks near Olneyville Square.
The plan for the development of Westminster Crossing was proposed by the Cecil Group of Boston. The reclaiming of the163-acre area between Atwells Avenue and Broad Street would include the demolition of Cathedral Square to reopen Westminster Street to traffic. Cianci said this would help unify the city in re-linking West Broadway with Downcity, and reuniting the Cathedral with its parish.
This plan also calls for Route 95 to be decked over with “The Providence Gardens,” and 1,000 residential units on land areas overlooking the visually soothing Gardens.
How much will all of this cost?
“That’s really not been determined,” said Cianci. “A lot depends on the extent to which the federal government, property owners and real estate developers share some of the costs, and the non-profit community.”
