PROVIDENCE — New construction of a boutique hotel on the Providence River advanced at the Interstate 195 Redevelopment District Commission Monday, gaining an initial approval intended to move the project to the formal design phase.
The project, advanced by a Boston-based team that has previously developed hotels and hotel renovations, will require additional state and city approvals, including from the Coastal Resources Management Council.
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Called the River View Hotel, it is an effort by the Cambridge-based Kendall Hotel Group, and would involve a 52-room hotel, an art gallery and a restaurant, as well as auto parking, on a 0.28-acre site on South Water Street.
Known as Parcel 1A on the I-195 district map, it is now open space that has been used for outdoor programs, including the Providence Flea, a Sunday seasonal market that has attracted several thousand people on weekends.
Several alternate proposals were also presented on Monday, by advocates for other uses and concepts for the land.
But in approving the so-called Level 1 application by the Kendall Group, the commissioners said it was their mission to consider the development of the land.
The other proposals included a sculpture garden and public use, put forward by the Providence-based arts collaborative The Avenue Concept, and Building Bridges Providence, a nonprofit that seeks to enliven the public spaces near the I-195 district.
The commission also heard a proposal from another nonprofit, a collaboration between the Independence Trail education and visitor center and Heritage Harbor Museum of Rhode Island. This would involve the relocation of the Welcome Arnold House, a 1785 colonial in College Hill that until recently was threatened with demolition, to the site for renovation and redevelopment as an education and welcome center.
In statements to the board, and in his written report, the commission’s executive director, Peter McNally, said while the nonprofit uses may have merit, they could be located in another planned parkland within the district.
The 1A space is intended to be developed for commercial use, McNally said.
“This is a developable site,” he said.
The design itself would, at this point, require multiple variances from the city of Providence zoning, including for the height of the structure. But that is not reason enough not to consider the project, he said, as those design requests will be reviewed by the city.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
