While cities normally grow and change through the course of many small projects, large-scale development opportunities like the 195 land project do not come around often and the knowledge district may represent the most significant economic-development opportunity that Rhode Island has faced in recent memory. Last Thursday the state Senate approved a bill to create a powerful commission that could decide almost everything about how to develop the land, and the bill now goes on to the house. Many people are concerned that the proposed commission will have even more power than the Capital Center Commission, created in 1981 to oversee the new Capital Center District. While slightly different circumstances, 30 years later, nearly half of the district's parcels are still undeveloped, partly because of the commission and problems they created. Sunday I had John Marion, Executive Director of Common Cause Rhode Island on to talk about the public forum they are co-hosting tonight, June 13th, at the Spot Underground, 13 Elbow Street in Providence. Hoping to bring public officials and other interested parties together to learn more about the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, other groups involved include BetterProvidence, The Jewelry District Association and Greater City: Providence. Common Cause is concerned with the possible problems with this approach including a lack of zoning/planning, the speed in which the commission is coming together, and the absolute power and the apparent lack of accountability of the proposed commission. They want to know if the Commission best serve the public interest, including the people of Providence, as well as the State of Rhode Island. This Week's Real Estate Insight: If you have interest in how this new opportunity will be played out, you should not miss tonight's forum, as John Marion pointed out, "The successful development of the "Knowledge District" is crucial to Rhode Island's economy. Common Cause believes that the proposal put forward to create a commission charged with developing the land needs to be fully understood. We look forward to hearing the views of the stakeholders, both for and against, at tonight's forum."Public Forum Tonight on I-195 Plan
- By Michael McCann
- Posted
While cities normally grow and change through the course of many small projects, large-scale development opportunities like the 195 land project do not come around often and the knowledge district may represent the most significant economic-development opportunity that Rhode Island has faced in recent memory. Last Thursday the state Senate approved a bill to create a powerful commission that could decide almost everything about how to develop the land, and the bill now goes on to the house. Many people are concerned that the proposed commission will have even more power than the Capital Center Commission, created in 1981 to oversee the new Capital Center District. While slightly different circumstances, 30 years later, nearly half of the district's parcels are still undeveloped, partly because of the commission and problems they created. Sunday I had John Marion, Executive Director of Common Cause Rhode Island on to talk about the public forum they are co-hosting tonight, June 13th, at the Spot Underground, 13 Elbow Street in Providence. Hoping to bring public officials and other interested parties together to learn more about the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission, other groups involved include BetterProvidence, The Jewelry District Association and Greater City: Providence. Common Cause is concerned with the possible problems with this approach including a lack of zoning/planning, the speed in which the commission is coming together, and the absolute power and the apparent lack of accountability of the proposed commission. They want to know if the Commission best serve the public interest, including the people of Providence, as well as the State of Rhode Island. This Week's Real Estate Insight: If you have interest in how this new opportunity will be played out, you should not miss tonight's forum, as John Marion pointed out, "The successful development of the "Knowledge District" is crucial to Rhode Island's economy. Common Cause believes that the proposal put forward to create a commission charged with developing the land needs to be fully understood. We look forward to hearing the views of the stakeholders, both for and against, at tonight's forum."
