Public invited to design waterfront park for the city

PROVIDENCE – City officials stood on a patch of land Monday beneath a Route 195 overpass and challenged the public to help transform the city’s waterfront into a neighborhood park. Mayor David N. Cicilline encouraged the public to envision a new waterfront park with families and children on the edge of downtown overlooking the Providence River.

Cicilline announced a waterfront park design competition to “give the community a once-in-a-century opportunity to harness their creativity and share their vision of what they think their park should like.” The Waterfront Park Design Competition would focus on a parcel of land that will be freed up when Route 195 is relocated.

The proposed design areas include eight acres of land on both sides of the Providence River:

— Six acres of land on the west side of the Providence River bounded by the Riverwalk, Peck Street to the north, the National Grid property to the south, and Dyer Street to the west.

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The East Side design area is located on two acres of land along the east side of the Providence River between James and Point streets, and between the river and South Water Street.

Cicilline said the future park would be a centerpiece for the city that would complement residential and commercial development envisioned for that area. The Environmental Impact Statement for the Route 195 relocation project requires the R.I. Department of Transportation designate land for green space.

RIDOT would use the winning design to develop and construct the new park, and the city would own and maintain the green space as part of a partnership between the city and the state. RIDOT has earmarked nearly $4.5 million for the project.

Parks Superintendent Alix Ogden said the challenge for designers is the proposed park will be a “defining feature in the city” and she said the design should provide a connection to Providence’s waterfront.

The Design Competition is open to institutions, organizations, community groups and individuals. Design teams must include at least one landscape architect and an architect or civil engineer licensed to practice in the state of Rhode Island. Joint ventures and collaborations with students, artists, or organizations with eligible design professionals are welcome.

For more information on the rules and criteria for the Waterfront Park Design Competition, visit the city Web site at www.providenceri.com. The winning design will be announced this September. Ogden said the winning design team will receive a cash prize of $3,000 and the finalists will receive a cash prize of $1,000.

Cicilline appointed an 11-member committee consisting of community leaders to select the winning design. Members of the Waterfront Design Competition Committee are: Jill Jaffe, Merrill Sherman, Michael Hogue, Howard Ben Tre, Jenny Pereira, Ana Cano-Morales, Keith A. Oliveira, Frank LaTorre, Aria Bilodeau, Barbara Petrarca and Mary Ellen Flanagan.

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