The Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy

  This week, Steve and I were in the studio with my good friend Pat Moran, Development Chair of the Downtown Providence Parks Conservancy (DPPC) and joined on the phone   by the Executive Director Cliff Wood and developer Chris Marsella to talk about this exciting project. Downtown Providence’s central plaza has drawn many visitors through the years. In 1917, The Great Houdini performed his magic in the plaza for thousands of people. The Plaza was re-named “Kennedy Plaza” after then presidential candidate John F. Kennedy gave a speech in front of more than 60,000 people. For the longest time the plaza was host to many seedy activities including public drunkenness, drugs, and robberies. While the city has managed to cut down on crime in recent years, it is far from the vibrant urban hub the DPPC envisions. The Conservancy’s plan, working with property owners, city, state and business leaders to improve the area and create a public-private partnership to maintain it, is patterned on similar partnerships in other cities such as Bryant Park in New York. The new pedestrian-friendly Kennedy Plaza will aid in the city’s efforts to retain existing businesses and attract new industries to downtown, inciting increased economic activity by drawing people to the center of downtown.   This week’s Real Estate Insight: Be a part of this great project. On Tuesday March 11^th, the DPPC will be hosting a fundraiser at the Flatbread Company, 161 Cushing Street in Providence (where Adesso used to be) to benefit the transformation of Greater Kennedy Plaza. Between 6 and 8 pm, enjoy live music, raffles, a Revival Beer tasting, drink specials and more.