FPNA Audience Unhappy with RIDOT
Lambri Zerva, supervising engineer with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, (RIDOT), at FPNAs October Membership meeting failed to convince the audience that his department has listened to neighborhood concerns on I-Way access streets and that measures are being taken to address widespread complaints of increased highway noise.
Those complaints of increased I-Way traffic noise from Fox Point residents erupted in the spring, prompting letters from Councilman Seth Yurdin and FPNAs new president Ian Barnacle, which led to a meeting with RIDOT Director Michael P. Lewis.
At the meeting, Zerva attempted to convince the audience that subsequent testing indicated that sound levels were down from those taken before construction of the I-Way. The present noise-making comes from three areas: eastbound lanes, westbound lanes and the bridge, Zerva said. We are putting the final level of paving on those lanes, which should make the noise less, he explained. But, the deck is grooved concrete (to improve traction) and it is permanent. Audience members described the new noise as roaring and asked why RIDOT is not considering decorative sound barriers like those used in Connecticut, Massachusetts and other major cities. Zerva said such barriers only reduce noise for the first street near the barrier and do nothing to lower levels beyond that point.
Zerva also attempted to portray RIDOT as listening to neighborhood concerns by re-designing the Wickenden intersection, but residents disagreed. Barnacle pointed out that the westbound Main Street exit into the neighborhood continues to block access to restaurants on the other side and presents a very dangerous situation for pedestrians who are crossing it. Zerva said that traffic could not be slowed down by signs indicating an upcoming traffic light because RIDOT did not want to interfere with interstate traffic flow. Well, we would certainly not be happy with the installation of a tall chain-link fence along that exit, Barnacle said. The area in question is the intersection of Pike and Transit streets, near Our Lady of Rosary Church. Beginning in mid 2009, FPNA had asked RIDOT to consider the extension of Pike Street to the west, which if done, would now have to cross the I-Way exit. John Rousseau, FPNA executive secretary, said the exit seemed plenty long enough for signs about an upcoming traffic light to slow traffic down. He also pointed out that the extension of Pike Street to South Main would make the interstate parcels across the exit more valuable real estate for the City of Providence. What about Father Escobars complaints about the problems presented for funerals from the church?
In a March 4th letter, Rev. Joseph A. Escobar had asked RIDOT to extend Pike Street through South Water Street so that churchgoers especially those at funerals would have an easier access to I-195 East by being able to cross the exit and turn left on South Water Street. The current plan calls for a left turn onto Wickenden Street from Traverse Street, then right turn onto South Main Street and a U-turn via a side street and then a left turn onto South Water Street in order to go I-195 East. The more turns that you have to make, the greater likelihood that cars will be separated from the funeral procession, Father Escobar says in his letter.
David Riley, co-chair of Head of the Bay Gateway, (HOBG), told Zerva that RIDOT was ignoring neighborhood pleas against turbo-speed entrances into the neighborhood and pedestrian access to the Providence Riverfront in favor of highway interests.
In Councilman Seth Yurdins letter, he asked RIDOT Director Michael P. Lewis to assess noise and pollution issues; recommend a series of actions; provide an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the issues and implement necessary measures to address the problems. Since the request, no public meeting to update residents on the existing I-way design plan has been held.
Tax Levy Targets East Side
Residents and apartment owners on the East Side of Providence are now carrying an unfair property tax burden, thanks to the City Councils July 31st Tax Levy, according to Keith Fernandes, president of the newly formed Providence Apartment Association. Since real estate prices on the East Side have held their property values better than other parts of the city, the property tax increases are targeted, Fernandes said. Property tax rates have gone up for all of you sitting in the audience, thanks to an irresponsible City Council who raises taxes and decides how to spend the money later, he explained.
For owners of investment property, the removal of the 33 percent non-owner occupied exemption means they have taken a more devastating hit, Fernandes said. Adding the 25 percent plus tax increase to the loss of the 33 percent exemption means many landlords saw increases of 70 to 80 percent. Unfortunately this action will lead to higher rents for tenants, he added.
Fernandes said some council members who voted for the increase have not been returned to office. The incoming mayor and council needs to take a long and hard look at the current structure to find a more equitable, fair distribution of the tax burden, he maintains. He quoted from an article in Providence Monthly, which noted that the many universities and non-profits in the city are not carrying their fair share of the tax burden.
FPNA President Ian Barnacle, who also is a licensed real estate broker with Residential Properties, said it has been much more difficult to find persons willing to invest in Providence real estate since July 31st. Some deals we had in process before the Councils decision fell through before closing, he added. To learn more about the issue, go to the Providence Apartment Associations new web site, fixprov.com.
FPNA Thanks Candidates
By the time this article is published, the November 2nd election will be over and voters will have decided on Question 4, the Open Space Recreation Bond supported by FPNA and many other organizations. At the October meeting, Head of the Bay Gateway (HOBG), co-chairs asked for approval of the bond to place both Rocky Point Amusement Park in Warwick and the Shooters property at 25 India Street in Providence into public ownership and renovate Fort Adams State Park in Newport.
FPNA would like to thank everyone, who supported the bond, including the political candidates speaking at the October membership meeting, who unanimously supported the measure. Those participants were for State Senator, District 3: State Senator Rhoda Perry, democrat; Morris Jordon Markovitz, republican and Miriam Ross, independent; State Representative, District 2: Christopher R. Blazejewski, democrat and Richard R. Rodi, Jr., independent; and Mayor of Providence: Angel Taveras, democrat and Jonathan P. Scott, republican.
School Principal Addresses FPNA
Vartan Gregorian Principal Colin Grimsey told FPNAs board in September that he did not know how the school board would rule on the controversy, but suggested that some capital improvements to the mid-century modern facility might be coming soon. We all hate the broken glass blocks on the schools auditorium and other locations, Grimsey says. They are just wrong in so many ways.
A consultant for the district is developing a five-year capital improvement plan for all the schools, Grimsey adds. Vartan Gregorian Elementary is slated for modernization, a category that means it could receive optimum attention, he explains. The cost to repair the glass blocks may be in range of the improvements, he adds.
RISD Professor Dennis Hlynsky, whose house is across from the school, points out that behind the stucco on the wall chosen for the mural, are glass blocks, which once allowed light into the now dark offices and hallways. FPNA supports Hlynskys assertion that the school has architectural significance based on its large footprint and low impact on the neighborhood due to its low profile. Grimsey said that more information on the five-year capital improvement plan, including East Side Schools would be posted on the school departments website,
http://www.providenceschools.org/inside-ppsd/facilities/east-planning-zone.aspx section.
FPNA Donates $1,000 for Bond Campaign
The board of the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), approved a $1,000 contribution for a media campaign supporting the public space bond issue that is on the November 2nd ballot.
The Save Our Shores Campaign has been initiated by Save the Bay, Inc., who will be providing staff and other resources, according to Arria Bilodeau, FPNA secretary and co-chair of Head of the By Gateway, (HOBG). Save the Bay will match up to $15,000 in funds and develop a media plan of action, Bilodeau explains. HOBG, the Rocky Point Foundation and the Fort Adams Trustthe beneficiaries of the bond, are hoping to raise at least $15,000, she says. Were optimistic because voters tend to favor that type of bondone that increases public spaces.
For Shooters, passage of this bond is a last-ditch effort to become a public marina and for Providences hopes of developing a public waterfront, Bilodeau told FPNAs board. It must pass for Rhode Island to hold on to its shorelines for the public. Besides Save the Bay, the Department of Environmental Management and Grow Smart Rhode Island, a non-profit alliance of community leaders promoting sustainable and prosperous growth and development, have endorsed the bond.
Outreach on Mural Lacking
In mid-September, FPNA asked Thomas M. Brady, superintendent of the Providence Department of Schools to halt plans of the Parent Teacher Organization, (PTO) at the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School to install a 250-foot mural to its East Street façade. After significant public objection this spring, the school board told FPNA that the project would be postponed until the fall so that there could be more public discussion.
According to a September 1 memo from Stephanie Federico, the districts chief of staff, the school and PTO have undertaken much public outreach over the past several months. In a letter to the School Board, FPNA President Ian Barnacle points out that the PTO has done little or no public outreach within the Fox Point community. Most of those persons pushing the project, conspicuously the PTO and Principal Grimsey, do not live in Fox Point and will not look at the mural with the regularity of its neighbors, Barnacle adds.
FPNA has asked the school board to not approve the project until the PTO informs the neighborhood about their proposal at its membership meeting in October. At press time, the school board had not issued a decision.
FPNA Speaks Out Against Tax Levy
In another letter to Mayor David N. Cicilline, Barnacle encouraged the mayor to veto the City Councils tax levy, saying it unfairly targeted Fox Point and all residents of the East Side.
Already, it is a recognized fact that property owners on the East Side pay significantly higher taxes on their homes, compared with property owners in other city neighborhoods, Barnacle pointed out. This last-minute effort to increase property taxes on selected areas of the city, while reducing those of property owners in other areas smacks of class warfare.
Not only is it unethical, it may prove illegal if it is determined that properties on the East Side are routinely being targeted with unfair tax assessments, he stated. FPNA agreed with City Solicitor Adrienne Southgates opinion that the levy, itself, is illegal because it was introduced after the public hearing July 14th.
FPNA also opposed the removal of the exemption for non-owner occupied multi-family property owners, saying it could unfairly increase their taxes by 30 percent and slow the housing recovery. In recent years, multi-family property owners have been struggling with increasing vacancies due to surrounding universities providing greater housing options for their students, he added.
The council should be taken to task for ignoring Councilman Cliff Woods appeals to rework the budget, Barnacles letter concluded. Instead of looking at other ways to increase revenue and decrease expenses, the council members are again passing the buck to the property owners on the East Side.
FPNA Supports RIDOT Funding Request
FPNA also gave its strong support for the application submitted by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, (RIDOT), to the United States Department of Transportation for federal funding through the TIGER Discretionary Grant Program.
If TIGER stands for Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, then you could make no better award selection than RIDOTs Highways to Bikeways Plan, FPNA President Ian Barnacle said in a letter that was included with RIDOTs application.
RIDOTs plan would add a bus stop on South Main Street, joining public transportation routes with extensive and improved bikeways, the letter read.
Barnacle cited Providences emerging public waterfront as an added incentive for receiving the transportation funding. Though not part of RIDOTs application, recent waterfront developments demonstrate the long-range transportation potential of this area, Barnacle said. Fox Point is unique because it brings together the automobile, public transportation, biking and pedestrian traffic with the potential of water transport.
Should voters approve an open space-recreation bond question in the November election, $3.2 million would be used to keep the Shooters property at 25 India Street in public ownership. The bond also would allow $10 million to retain public ownership of Rocky Point Amusement Park in Warwick and another $1.5 million for improvements and renovations at Fort Adams State Park in Newport.
Other FPNA efforts cited included participation on a Providence Foundation Committee to transform the old interstate bridge into a vessel for bikers and pedestrians to quickly travel between the Fox Point, College Hill neighborhoods and three universities to and from downtown Providence. With its 360-degree views of Providence, this functional bi-modal structure would naturally become a destination in its own right to residents and tourists alike, Barnacle added.
Other FPNA projects cited included revised RIDOT designs for the Wickenden Street Grid, development of the Seekonk Shoreline Bikeway and landscaping of the India Point Park Pedestrian Bridge for sound screening.
FPNA Calls for Safety Forum
On the Monday following a weekend shootout that riddled residences and automobiles near the Trenton-Ives intersection, the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), called on Councilman Seth Yurdin to help host a Neighborhood Safety Forum.
At press deadline, Yurdin had scheduled a meeting for that Wednesday, having personally asked Police Chief Dean Esserman, District Commander Lieutenant John Ryan; Frank Corbishley, Director of Providence Community Action Program (PROCAP); Teny Gross, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Non-Violence and the Fox Point Boys & Girls Club.
Fox Point residents are justifiably alarmed by this violent incident, and they need answers, Yurdin said. We are bringing everyone together in one place to discuss what happened, and to make a plan for positive steps that can be taken to prevent a recurrence.
In a letter, FPNA President Ian Barnacle said, It is unfortunate that we in Fox Point now have had a taste of the violence that some neighborhoods in the city experience daily. The fact that the two houses in question belong to the Providence Community Action Program, (ProCAP), however, prompts us to include ProCAP in this forum.
FPNA would like a representative of the Providence Police Department to provide further information about the shooting and reassure residents that there will not be a recurrence of this tragedy, Barnacle explained. Also invited to attend the forum was Frank Corbishly, Executive Director of ProCAP, to respond to loitering complaints and provide some dialogue to address neighborhood concerns and the Fox Point Boys & Girls Club to answer reports of increased loitering, littering and lack of grounds maintenance at the club, which is across from the shooting site.
In the past, FPNA has received cooperation from ProCap to devote more of its budget to maintain and improve these residences, Barnacle stressed. We thank them for that action and recent attention to the tree spaces along Trenton Street.
Now, we ask that ProCap and all public servants, who might share any accountability for this threat to Fox Points future to please come together to address this act of violence, Barnacle concluded.
HOBG Passes Out Pamphlets for Bond
Volunteers with Head of the Bay Gateway, (HOBG), passed out pamphlets urging passage of the $14.7 million open space-recreation bond question in November at the July 4th Fireworks Display in India Point Park, according to HOBG Co-Chair Arria Bilodeau. Should the voters approve the bond, $3.2 million of it would be used to keep the Shooters property at 25 India Street in public ownership. We passed out over 800 handouts and bumper stickers and it was striking how many persons already were committed and aware of the Shooters/Gateway visionand the need to protect it, Bilodeau explains. The reception was 99.44 per cent in favor of the bond.
There wasn't much time to engage in lengthy explanations of the Gateway and Bond -- but lots of people supported open space bonds in principle, Bilodeau adds. One thing we all remarked on was how many out-of-state visitors were at the park that night, she points out. Providence is a destination. Now, the waterfront is too! The HOBG volunteers, including State Senator Rhoda Perry, circulated in different areas of the park, Bilodeau continues. Rhoda was terrific, greeting so many people she knew, and putting the handout in the hands of all the rest, she says. Besides Shooters, the bond also would allow $10 million to retain public ownership of Rocky Point Amusement Park in Warwick and another $1.5 million for improvements and renovations at Fort Adams State Park in Newport.
An estimated 25,000 people in and around the park enjoyed the fireworks and the Rhode Island Philharmonic POPS Concert at India Point Park on July 4th. Resident Conductor Francisco Noya conducted the symphony from a stage set up next to the water in the middle of the park. It was a world-class affair that stands the promise of becoming an important regional attraction, Bilodeau says. The presence and quality of our beautiful new waterfront park venue demonstrates the potential of our waterfront revitalization.
Clean Up at Gano Park Sparks Bike Path Discussion
The possibility of having a bicycle path along the Seekonk Shoreline at Gano Park is being explored as a way to eventually connect the Blackstone River Bikeway to the Washington Bridge, according to the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA).
Informal discussions of the concept, which follow recent efforts at restoring the river view at the park, are just beginning between FPNA, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, (RIDOT), and the East Coast Greenway Alliance, according to FPNA board member John Rousseau. Its mostly just e-mail conversations at this point, but the off-road segment of the Blackstone Bikeway will end at nearby Pitman Street, behind the East Side Marketplace, Rousseau says. From there, it could continue up Pittman Street, then briefly on Gano Street before entering the park near the train tunnel and then running along the train tracks to the shoreline at the Crooks Point Bridge.
Eric Weis, an advocate with the East Coast Greenway Alliance, worked with RIDOT, the Department of Environmental Management and the City of Providences Department of Planning & Development on the segment of the bikeway that ends at the East Side Marketplace. There has to be a way to reclaim that old railroad bed for public use, Weis says. RIDOT should begin advertising for the on-road segments of the bikewayfrom Pawtucket, using the Blackstone Boulevard to River Street to Pitman Street by the end of this summer, according to Steve Church, senior planner at RIDOT.
The two FPNA clean ups of the Seekonk Shoreline at Gano Park April 17th and June 26th have succeeded in restoring much of the parks view of the river. Volunteers and personnel with the Providence Department of Parks, (PDP), have trimmed trees, weeds and removed litter along the shoreline and decades of illegal garbage dumping, adjacent to the bridge. The newly exposed areas of the park will be re-seeded with grass in the fall and will receive continuing maintenance from PDP, according to Robert A. McMahon, PDP director.
Fall Clean Up Being Planned
FPNA is looking at a possible fall clean up to precede the re-seeding, particularly if the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRCC) participates in the International Coastal Clean-Up. RIRRC will consider another tip waiver program, as it did in the spring, according to Krystal Noiseaux, recycling program coordinator. If we do decide to participate, well send out a notice in September, Noiseaux says.
FPNA has set up an advisory committee to assist with its long-term goal of giving the park a single identity and a more functional eastern riverfront. The committee includes representatives from the Department of Environmental Management, Department of Transportation, the Narragansett Bay Commission, Save the Bay, Department of Parks, Brown University, Fox Points three elected officials and leaders of the various groups using the park.
The initiative coincides with news that the proposed East Transit Street Boat Ramp, to be located at the southern end of the park, is back on track. Stymied for three years by the discovery of a former landfill on the boat ramp site, DPD and DEM have now lined up necessary funding for the project to be initiated, according to McMahon. A number of permits are still required from DEM and the Coastal Resources Management Council over the summer before site work on the project could begin in September, McMahon adds.
The boat ramps targeted completion date is scheduled for May 2011, according to Councilman Seth Yurdin, whose office assisted with the clean ups. The two clean ups have exposed underutilized areas of the park and provides greater access for residents to the Seekonk and the bay once the boat ramp project is completed, Yurdin said.
Shooters Future Placed on November Ballot
The Rhode Island Legislature voted in June to allow a $14.7 million open space-recreation bond question to be included on Novembers ballot$3.2 million of which would be used to keep the Shooters property at 25 India Street in public ownership. The bond also would allow $10 million to retain public ownership of Rocky Point Amusement Park in Warwick and $1.5 million for improvements and renovations at Fort Adams State Park in Newport.
The legislation regarding Shooters, which was sponsored by State Sen. Rhoda Perry and State Rep. David Segal, makes way for the site to be developed for public use under the auspices of the Department of Environmental Management, (DEM). The $3.2 million on the bond will allow its current owner, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, to return the fair market value of the 1.37-acre property to the Federal Highway Administration.
Both legislators say that Providences waterfront is currently underutilized as a recreational resourceparticularly for the capitol city of the Ocean State. We hope that the voters will see the wisdom of not letting this valuable piece of property pass back into private hands instead of being developed for the increased public use of our shoreline in Providence, Perry says.
This (bond issue) will make waterfront recreational opportunities available to the public and help give Rhode Islanders the chance to truly appreciate the beauty of our shore, Segal adds.
If the bond issue passes, the advocacy group, Head of the Bay Gateway, (HOBG), will continue to call for the creation of a public-private partnership to develop the site into a vibrant waterfront destination. We envision a public destination that would include a marina, excursion boat and ferry dock, restaurant, shore dinner hall, and event space for festivals, concerts, public markets, and rentals for private gatherings, David Riley, HOBG Co-Chair, says.
Riley adds that support for public use of the site is widespread, pointing to comments of petition signers from 39 Rhode Island cities and towns on the advocacy site, http://makeshooterspublic.com/. From Westerly to Woonsocket, they have repeated a recurring belief that a public destination would reap major economic and civic benefits for Rhode Island, Riley explains.
Currently 832 persons have signed the petition on the web site, but more signatures would help in promoting support for the bond issue, Riley adds. We urge supporters of a public waterfront to sign the petition at the above address and, most importantly, to turn out and vote yes on the bond issue (which will probably be Question 4 or 5 on the ballot) in the November election.
Fox Point Parks Getting Summer Make Overs
Gano Park underwent round two of a volunteer clean-up effort of its Seekonk Shoreline in late June, according to the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), while other neighborhood parks also got some much-needed attention.
FPNA sponsored the Gano Park effort, which followed an Earth Day Clean Up in April, both of which succeeded in providing the park with a view. Personnel with the Providence Department of Parks, (PDP), and Councilman Seth Yurdins Office assisted with the events, which removed trees, weeds and litter along the shoreline and decades of illegal garbage dumping, adjacent to the Crooks Point Bridge.
Also in June, Councilman Yurdins office and PDP sponsored the volunteer-driven construction of new playground equipment and a swing set at the George Araujo Children's Park, corner of Ives and Preston streets.
Meanwhile, Fenner Square, the small triangular park on Governor Street between Power and Williams streets has been undergoing an overhaul with new sidewalks, benches and fresh landscaping, according to Robert A. McMahon, DPD director. We expect most of the work to be complete by July 1. Were also adding an interpretive panel on the parks unique history later in the summer.
India Point Park, Fox Points largest park, began receiving the much anticipated landscaping, which was promised by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation as part of the construction phase of the I-Way. Completion of the project is expected this summer.
Next year, the PDP will begin work on the proposed East Transit Street Boat Ramp, to be located at the southern end of Gano Park. The boat ramps targeted completion date is scheduled for May 2011. Were happy to be providing these park improvements, which will continue to improve the quality of life in Fox Point, Yurdin said.
Gano Park underwent round two of a volunteer clean-up effort of its Seekonk Shoreline in late June, according to the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), while other neighborhood parks also got some much-needed attention. FPNA sponsored the Gano Park effort, which followed an Earth Day Clean Up in April, both of which succeeded in providing the park with a view. Personnel with the Providence Department of Parks, (PDP), and Councilman Seth Yurdins Office assisted with the events, which removed trees, weeds and litter along the shoreline and decades of illegal garbage dumping, adjacent to the Crooks Point Bridge.
Also in June, Councilman Yurdins office and PDP sponsored the volunteer-driven construction of new playground equipment and a swing set at the George Araujo Children's Park, corner of Ives and Preston streets. Meanwhile, Fenner Square, the small triangular park on Governor Street between Power and Williams streets has been undergoing an overhaul with new sidewalks, benches and fresh landscaping, according to Robert A. McMahon, DPD director. We expect most of the work to be complete by July 1. Were also adding an interpretive panel on the parks unique history later in the summer. India Point Park, Fox Points largest park, began receiving the much anticipated landscaping, which was promised by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation as part of the construction phase of the I-Way. Completion of the project is expected this summer.
CPC Votes to Exclude Hotels from the Shooters Site.
The City Plan Commission, (CPC), voted April 27th to prohibit all residential uses of the Shooters site, including hotels. The CPC had already voted 4-0 with one abstention on February 23rd to prohibit residential uses at Shooters and to revise the Waterfront Plan and the College Hill, Wayland and Fox Point Neighborhood Plan to reflect that prohibition. At the CPCs March meeting, personnel with the Department of Planning and Development, (DPD), argued that the February vote excluding residential uses should not be considered official, since the word vote was not specified on the agenda for the February meeting.
At the CPCs April meeting, Robert Azar, director of current planning for DPD, explained that the prior vote also could be interpreted to not include hotel restrictions because it might be considered temporary. Bryan Principe, the City Council presidents designee on the CPC, who made the prevailing motion in February, disagreed, saying, Hotels are considered residential zoning. He added that he wanted to go on record as saying that there was nothing improper with the motion or with our voting on it when we did. Azar pushed the commissioners to specifically address it now, while CPC Chairman Steven Durkee urged a simple re-vote of February motion--leaving a decision on hotel use to the City Council. Prior to the re-vote, Durkee told his fellow commissioners I strongly disagree with that (February 23rd) decision. Vice Chairman Harrison Bilodeau, who presided over the February meeting, said a hotel is residential and should not be recommended for a property that is in a velocity zone. CPC member Sam Limiadi made a motion for a re-vote on the residential restrictions and then amended it to include hotel-use restrictions. Andrew Cortes, the mayors designee on the commission, seconded his motions and a vote was called, resulting in four votes for all residential restrictions, two against and one abstention. At the East Side Monthlys deadline, the Planning Department had not yet forwarded the CPC zoning amendment on Shooters to the City Council for action. Head of the Bay Gateway representatives have expressed concern about the delay.
Mayoral Candidates Unanimous on Shooters
All three of the Democratic candidates for Mayor of Providence told a packed house of residents attending the April 28th Membership Meeting of the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), that they were for public use of the Shooters site.State Rep. Steven Costantino suggested floating a state bond for the fair market value, would allow the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, (RIDOT), to repay the Federal Highway Administration, as required. The state would then own the property outright and could lease it for the development of Shooters into a public marina, possibly providing space for the Department of Environmental Management. Lets have a vision for the entire I-195 property, to revitalize the community and Wickenden Street, Costantino added. Ward 13 Councilman John Lombardi reminded FPNA that he was the first elected official to come out in support of Shooters becoming part of a public waterfront. He said that the city council should move to freeze the sale of Shooters, predicting that it would vote unanimously on such a measure. In eight months, were going to have a new mayor, new department heads with a more progressive vision, Lombardi explained. If done properly, a family friendly park and marina could link the rest of the city to the waterfront and generate millions of dollars in tourist money. Former Housing Court Judge Angel Taveras said Shooters is not a place to have a tower, but a unique opportunity to bring tourism to Providences inner harbor. Taveras said Providence should be looking at other successful waterfront areas like Baltimores inner harbor. I get the concept of a marina with shops and places to eat and other mixed uses, he added. But, we have to get it right because there are no do-overs.
FPNAs New President to Seek Merchants.
Also at the meeting, FPNA elected board member Ian Barnacle, a licensed real estate broker with Residential Properties, as its new president and returned Daisy Schnepel as vice-president; Arria Bilodeau, Secretary; and Mark Goldberg, treasurer.
Barnacle plans to boost FPNA membership by reaching out to non-members and to the many merchants in Fox Points commercial areas of Wickenden and Ives streets, as well as other businesses located throughout the neighborhood. I see this segment as an integral part to Fox Points economic health and quality of life. Barnacle likens Providences Blackstone Boulevard area to New York Citys Upper East Side and Fox Point to its Greenwich Village. I don't think the Wickenden Street merchants understand how FPNA is working for them by sitting on the new Providence River Pedestrian Bridge Committee; by our involvement in improving the new Wickenden Street/I-Way interchange; and through our advocacy for Shooters as public space. FPNA could go much further to promote Wickenden and the burgeoning Ives Commercial District by facilitating a partnership committee for better public transportation and increased municipal parking, Barnacle says. After all, there is an unused 80-car parking lot near the Providence River under the new I-Way and possible locations for additional parking within the I-Way parcels that could be explored. The Shooters site is the first of several parcels to be returned to Fox Point when the old interstate structure is removed, he points out.
FPNA also is looking at expanding its new web site, http://www.foxpointprovidence.org/, to include merchantseither by allowing them to advertise or by offering a web page or a link to their business as part of a merchant membership, he adds. While we would appreciate the increased revenue, the real benefit would be to have them more involved in the many issues that not only impact residents, but merchants, too. FPNA board participation from its membership must also be addressed because of recent resignations, Barnacle emphasizes. Most of our board members have served much longer that the recommended three years and we need to re-visit committees to see where we are lacking. FPNA will form a short-term membership committee to recruit board members, as well a household memberships, Barnacle says. Were looking for new board members with energy, who can contribute in a constructive way to rally our residents and merchants, alike, for a better Fox Point.
Has the I-Way Made Fox Point Noisier?
Complaints of increased I-Way traffic noise from Fox Point residents has escalated, prompting letters from Councilman Seth Yurdin and FPNAs new president Ian Barnacle, that request a meeting with officials at the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, (RIDOT).
Resident Thalia Field, who lives on Benefit Street, likens the noise to a lawn mower or jet engine that nobody can turn off. Field has formed a FPNA committee to urge RIDOT to conduct sound monitoring at different times of the day and explore ways to reduce it. Connecticut and Massachusetts both use decorative sound barrier walls to mitigate noise in residential areas for freeways less than the eight lanes of this one that bisects Fox Point, Field points out. We also want to see the full landscape plans.
In Councilman Seth Yurdins letter, he asked RIDOT Director Michael P. Lewis to assess noise and pollution issues; recommend a series of actions; provide an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the issues and implement necessary measures to address the problems. At press time, a meeting has been scheduled, but not held between Lewis, Yurdin, Barnacle and other interested parties.
State Okays RFP for Shooters Sale
The Rhode Island State Properties Committee overlooked zoning questions April 13th and granted permission to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, (RIDOT), allowing it to sell the Shooters Property for an undisclosed amount. The zoning of Shooters is at question because in documentation provided by Kevin M. Flynn, chairman of the committee, the property was listed as W-2, which allows for residential uses. That designation conflicts with four-to-one-abstention decision by the City Plan Commission, (CPC), February 23rd. After re-viewing the issue at four separate hearings, the CPC voted to remove residential zoning from Shooters in the Waterfront Plan and the College Hill, Wayland and Fox Point Neighborhood Plan. But in Flynns packet to the committee, a letter from Thom Deller, director of the Providence Department of Planning and Development, (DPD), dated January 8, 2009 indicated, the W-2 zone will remain unchanged. In January 2009, the State Properties Committee gave the okay for RIDOT to initiate a request for proposals, (RFP), but with some conditions. Those included the submission of a written request for the funding re-imbursement from the Federal Highway Administration, (FHA); a letter from the city regarding existing and future zoning of the site; a report on the sites value as a marine terminal; and a land-use evaluation of the I-195 Highway parcels by Alix Krieger, a development consultant to the City and State. Ex-Officio Committee Member Xaykham Khamsyvoravong, who is the designated representative of the General Treasurer, said it was an embarrassment for the City of Providence, that no one from the Department of Planning & Development was present. Khamsyvoravong, who is a non-voting member, said it appeared that neither RIDOT nor DPD attempted to comply with the committees prior requests. RIDOT Director Michael Lewis again said his department was under obligation to sell the property, so that it could return the money to the Federal Highway Administration to complete the I-195 project. Khamsyvoravong asked why the requested FHA letter was not provided and Lewis said that RIDOT had not asked for it.
Sell Real Estate in Current Market?
Another committee member questioned whether delaying the sale until real estate prices improved might not be a wiser decision. While Chairman Flynn would not provide the exact asking price in the RFP, he noted it was seven figures less, meaning more than $1 million and less than $10 million. He also said it was less than the $3.5 million appraisal that RIDOT proposed in December 2008.
David Riley, Co-chair of the Head of the Bay Gateway Committee, (HOBG), group called the February 23rd CPC decision to remove residential from the zoning a definitive answer, which should not be overlooked. He also quoted a report from the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) that called Shooters the most ideal location for a ferry terminal that could join Newport and Providence.
A letter from State Senator Rhoda Perry and State Representative David Segal urged the committee to not sell the property and pay attention to the growing public support for a public waterfront in Providence and around the state.The Committee approved the RFP by a vote of four to one, but stipulated that it should be revised to include wording to encourage a public-private partnership for the development of a marina and public destination envisioned by HOBG. The committee also directed that the RFP should leave open the possibility for lease of the property rather than an outright sale. RIDOTs projected October 1, 2010 closing date for the sale would be adjusted to allow for RIDOT revisions and State Property Committees review, Flynn said.
Seekonk Shoreline at Gano Park Is 1/3 Complete.
Despite on-and-off misting rain April 17th, the Earth Day Clean Up of the Seekonk Shoreline at Gano Park succeeded by reaching 1/3 of its goal of restoring the parks view. Though tired and damp, volunteers and personnel with the Providence Department of Parks, (DPD), seemed agreeable to a second clean up in May or June to extend the view from the dog park towards the Crooks Point Bridge.
The event, sponsored by the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), was made possible through the assistance of Councilman Seth Yurdin and DPD. It also received a $500 Earth Day Grant from the Rhode Islands Department of Environmental Management, (DEM), and contributions from Dunkin Donuts at Gano Street, Patriot Disposal Company and the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporations Recycling Program. FPNA has set up an advisory committee to assist with its long-term goal of giving the park a single identity and a more functional riverfront. The committee includes representatives from DEM, the Narragansett Bay Commission, Save the Bay, Department of Parks, Brown University, Fox Points three elected officials and leaders of the various groups using the park. The initiative coincides with news that the proposed East Transit Street Boat Ramp, to be located at the southern end of the park, is back on track. Stymied for three years by the discovery of a former landfill on the boat ramp site, DPD and DEM have now lined up necessary funding for the project to be initiated, according to Robert A. McMahon, DPD director. A number of permits are still required from DEM and the Coastal Resources Management Council over the summer before site work on the project could begin in September, McMahon said. The boat ramps targeted completion date is scheduled for May 2011. The April 17th cleanup is a nice preview of greater access for residents to the Seekonk and the bay once the boat ramp project is completed, Yurdin said.
Street Tree Deadline is June 1st.
The deadline for applying for neighborhood street trees, which could be planted as early as this fall, is June 1st, according to Liz Downing of the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program. December 1st is the deadline for trees to be planted as early as spring 2011. FPNA volunteers, in association with the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program, have planted over 150 street trees in Fox Point. Since 1988, The Mary Elizabeth Sharpe Street Tree Endowment has matched Providence Parks Department funds to provide sidewalk preparation, new soil, trees, and tree delivery at no cost to Providence residents who apply and receive a Neighborhood Street Tree Planting Award. This bi-annual event not only contributes to the neighborhood's esthetic beauty; but also controls air pollution and water run off, while moderating high summer temperatures. To receive street trees through the Neighborhood Street Tree Planting Award,neighborhoods should have a volunteer to organize a neighborhood application; at least five properties that each need at least one tree within an area of one to three city blocks; permission from each property owner to plant each tree requested and a pledge from each property owner or tenant to help plant, water and weed the prospective tree space. To apply for trees for your neighborhood, visit www.pnpp.org.
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Mayor Offers Funding Advice for Shooters Site.
Mayor David N. Cicilline told the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), that he supports the idea of a public marina at the former Shooters site and for the first time offered $15,000 in matching funds for the development of a business plan. The business plans goal would be to transform Shooters into Providence Gateway, a marina-based, multi-use facility that would generate tax revenues for the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island, according to Daisy Schnepel, president of the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA). This moment is a crucial time for the Shooters parcel as we move toward the next level of advocacymaking it financially feasible, Schnepel said. The Mayor agreed with Head of the Bay Gateway Committee, (HOBG), at FPNAs March Board meeting that the public marina could only develop through a public-private partnership. You dont have to convince me of the concept, Cicilline said. But its fundamentally a question of economicsand the economic reality of a potential $30-million cut from the state aid to the city for this fiscal year, he said. We need to find ways of raising funds that dont further burden taxpayers. Cicilline outlined some possible income sources, including the application for the Environmental Protection Agencys Sustainable Communities Grants for densely populated areas with a vision for transportation and Resource Recovery Bonds for infrastructure improvements that would encourage economic growth. Cicilline pledged the Citys support in pursing these economic funding mechanisms.
Backed up by Thom Deller, director of the Department of Planning, (DPD), the Mayor pointed out that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and Development, (RIDOT), is required to sell the site to repay the Federal Highway Administration. HOBG Co-Chair David Riley disputed Dellers assertion that repayment was required, citing several cases where parcels were allowed to be developed for public use, instead of being sold.
Cicilline Pledges to Review Proposed Parks Use
Cicilline offered to look at other financial solutions for retiring RIDOTs debt of $3 million such as selling other I-Way parcels like Parcel 1, which is currently proposed for park use. Residents at FPNAs board meeting also pushed for RIDOT to secure and clean up the site, which is unsafe and suffers from continued vandalism. That building is the first thing that you see when you enter Providence from 195, Harrison Bilodeau, a Fox Point resident and vice chairman of the City Plan Commission, (CPC), pointed out. Its an eyesore. The Mayor agreed to work with RIDOT to have the façade of the Shooters parcel secured and free of graffiti. Should the site be sold to former owner Michael Kent under RIDOTs eminent domain agreement, the City could resort to seizing it by eminent domain, according to audience member Angel Tavares, Providence Housing Court Judge and candidate for Mayor.
Bryan Principe, City Council president designee on the CPC, urged the Mayor to push for Providencethrough the Head of the Bay Gatewayto be included in the states pitch for the Americas Cup in 2013. If Providence had a marina, Rhode Island could offer the selection committee two cities for the price of one, Principe added. The future of the former nightclub has generated considerable interest since it represents the first slice of new developable land to become available as the I-Way project nears completion. In February, the CPC voted 4 to 0 with one abstention to remove residential zoning recommendations for Shooters from the Waterfront Plan and the College Hill, Wayland and Fox Point Neighborhood Plan. FPNAs web site, www.makeshooterspublic.com, will continue to share HOBGs vision for a marina, update waterfront developments, distribute bumper stickers and offer the community a way to support the effort by signing their petition.
The Rhode Island State Properties Committee overlooked zoning questions April 13th and granted permission to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, (RIDOT), allowing it to sell the Shooters Property for an undisclosed amount.
The zoning of Shooters is at question because in documentation provided by Kevin M. Flynn, chairman of the committee, the property was listed as W-2, which allows for residential uses. That designation conflicts with four-to-one-abstention decision by the City Plan Commission, (CPC), February 23rd. After re-viewing the issue at four separate hearings, the CPC voted to remove residential zoning from Shooters in the Waterfront Plan and the College Hill, Wayland and Fox Point Neighborhood Plan. But in Flynns packet to the committee, a letter from Thom Deller, director of the Providence Department of Planning and Development, (DPD), dated January 8, 2009 indicated, the W-2 zone will remain unchanged.
In January 2009, the State Properties Committee gave the okay for RIDOT to initiate a request for proposals, (RFP), but with some conditions. Those included the submission of a written request for the funding re-imbursement from the Federal Highway Administration, (FHA); a letter from the city regarding existing and future zoning of the site; a report on the sites value as a marine terminal; and a land-use evaluation of the I-195 Highway parcels by Alix Krieger, a development consultant to the City and State.
Ex-Officio Committee Member Xaykham Khamsyvoravong, who is the designated representative of the General Treasurer, said it was an embarrassment for the City of Providence, that no one from the Department of Planning & Development was present. Khamsyvoravong, who is a non-voting member, said it appeared that neither RIDOT nor DPD attempted to comply with the committees prior requests.
RIDOT Director Michael Lewis again said his department was under obligation to sell the property, so that it could return the money to the Federal Highway Administration to complete the I-195 project. Khamsyvoravong asked why the requested FHA letter was not provided and Lewis said that RIDOT had not asked for it.
A letter from State Senator Rhoda Perry and State Representative David Segal urged the committee to not sell the property and pay attention to the growing public support for a public waterfront in Providence and around the state.
The Committee approved the RFP by a vote of four to one, but stipulated that it should be revised to include wording to encourage a public-private partnership for the development of a marina and public destination envisioned by HOBG. The committee also directed that the RFP should leave open the possibility for lease of the property rather than an outright sale. RIDOTs projected October 1, 2010 closing date for the sale would be adjusted to allow for RIDOT revisions and State Property Committees review, Flynn said.
The event, sponsored by the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), was made possible through the assistance of Councilman Seth Yurdin and DPD. It also received a $500 Earth Day Grant from the Rhode Islands Department of Environmental Management, (DEM), and contributions from Dunkin Donuts at Gano Street, Patriot Disposal Company and the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporations Recycling Program.
FPNA has set up an advisory committee to assist with its long-term goal of giving the park a single identity and a more functional riverfront. The committee includes representatives from DEM, the Narragansett Bay Commission, Save the Bay, Department of Parks, Brown University, Fox Points three elected officials and leaders of the various groups using the park.
The initiative coincides with news that the proposed East Transit Street Boat Ramp, to be located at the southern end of the park, is back on track. Stymied for three years by the discovery of a former landfill on the boat ramp site, DPD and DEM have now lined up necessary funding for the project to be initiated, according to Robert A. McMahon, DPD director. A number of permits are still required from DEM and the Coastal Resources Management Council over the summer before site work on the project could begin in September, McMahon said.
The boat ramps targeted completion date is scheduled for May 2011. The April 17th cleanup is a nice preview of greater access for residents to the Seekonk and the bay once the boat ramp project is completed, Yurdin said.
The deadline for applying for neighborhood street trees, which could be planted as early as this fall, is June 1st, according to Liz Downing of the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program. December 1st is the deadline for trees to be planted as early as spring 2011.
FPNA volunteers, in association with the Providence Neighborhood Planting Program, have planted over 150 street trees in Fox Point. Since 1988, The Mary Elizabeth Sharpe Street Tree Endowment has matched Providence Parks Department funds to provide sidewalk preparation, new soil, trees, and tree delivery at no cost to Providence residents who apply and receive a Neighborhood Street Tree Planting Award. This bi-annual event not only contributes to the neighborhood's esthetic beauty; but also controls air pollution and water run off, while moderating high summer temperatures.
To receive street trees through the Neighborhood Street Tree Planting Award,
neighborhoods should have a volunteer to organize a neighborhood application; at least five properties that each need at least one tree within an area of one to three city blocks; permission from each property owner to plant each tree requested and a pledge from each property owner or tenant to help plant, water and weed the prospective tree space. To apply for trees for your neighborhood, visit www.pnpp.org.
Mayor David N. Cicilline told the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, (FPNA), that he supports the idea of a public marina at the former Shooters site and for the first time offered $15,000 in matching funds for the development of a business plan.
