With new projects being proposed on a regular basis in Providence, the biggest issue has moved from making development happen to managing that development, a challenge it turns out that is more desirable but only slightly less thorny.
One of the latest tempests in a tea pot relates to the plans to add a second building between Canal and North Main streets to a project that already is building a 15-story, 123,00-square-foot building with first-floor commercial space and 202 micro-loft-style apartments.
The second structure, originally also designed to be 15 stories tall, has since been cut back to 11 stories, after community opposition to its dominant presence at the base of College Hill. In fact, the changes to the project have made it a better one.
But at a recent Providence Downtown Design Review Committee meeting, members of the committee wondered why the project did not include parking for the apartment building, which would include ground-floor retail.
A number of years ago, the city changed its zoning requirements for downtown development, removing the requirement for parking. This was in keeping with the desire to increase the density of development and fill in the many parking lots that dominate downtown Providence’s grid. The last thing the city needs is another downtown parking lot, as members of the DDRC should know better than anyone.
City officials must be supportive of responsible development. It’s not just the rules of the game that matter, it’s about who is enforcing them, too.