282 replies to this topic

[Recchia]

Great, so of course I'm going to miss the meeting with free food.  

I'd say anyone from the Providence metro in effect could voice an opinion, as long as its not a NIMBY suburban opinion without any backing...  Planning needs regionalism anyway.

[jencoleslaw]

you know what would be an awesome addition to my dessert line for the Happy Endings Dessert Spa? Ice cream  (or gelato!) filled donuts.

[Cotuit]

jencoleslaw, on Jul 17 2006, 04:32 PM, said:

you know what would be an awesome addition to my dessert line for the Happy Endings Dessert Spa? Ice cream  (or gelato!) filled donuts.

[mental757]

well - I certainly have a desire to see the city prosper from additional investment, employment, and tourism and I simply love the city and RI in general.  I suppose the way they go about accomplishing those things effects more than just the city's residents...

[Recchia]

jencoleslaw, on Jul 17 2006, 04:32 PM, said:

you know what would be an awesome addition to my dessert line for the Happy Endings Dessert Spa? Ice cream  (or gelato!) filled donuts.

hmm I don't know... I like warm donuts and that wouldn't go too well with ice cream.  Of course I'd still eat them though.

[Cotuit]

Garris, on Jul 17 2006, 11:08 PM, said:

Secondary question is how to we gradually advance height here in the city without shocking people?

Green, GREEN GREEN GREEN.

I just watched Tom Brokaw's special on Discovery on global warming, and I'm all about green building being the key issue in Providence Tomorrow. Make all these East Side NIMBYs put their money where their mouths are so to speak. I want to see green buildings, but also the density of the city itself encourages a healthy environment. Want to do something for the environment? Allow for increased density, and more retail options in walkable areas (and opened after 5pm when working people can actually take advantage of it). Putting a smart ass bumper sticker on your Prius doesn't cut it anymore. These people who want open space and trees, great. Let's have open space and trees in the country and build more houses/apartments/condos in the city, so we can stop cutting down trees in Coventry for more people to live. Allow some height in the city and maybe we can set aside some more space intown for parks and green space. If the whole state consists of one story buildings, kiss your trees goodbye, they'll all be under water.

[Garris]

Cotuit, on Jul 17 2006, 11:18 PM, said:

Green, GREEN GREEN GREEN.

I'm all about green building being the key issue in Providence Tomorrow. Make all these East Side NIMBYs put their money where their mouths are so to speak...  Want to do something for the environment? Allow for increased density, and more retail options in walkable areas (and opened after 5pm when working people can actually take advantage of it). Putting a smart ass bumper sticker on your Prius doesn't cut it anymore.... Let's have open space and trees in the country and build more houses/apartments/condos in the city, so we can stop cutting down trees in Coventry...

Good luck.  I've tried using that argument here on the East Side and just get this back at me   .  People don't see the environment beyond the green they can see from their living room windows and feel more density equals more people and more parking...

If you've got another way to spin the argument, please let me know, because the blunt approach doesn't seem to work...

- Garris

[JimmyGreaves]

Just wanted to RSVP yes for Friday's meeting.

[Lone Ranger]

Recchia, on Jul 17 2006, 04:30 PM, said:

Great, so of course I'm going to miss the meeting with free food.  

I'd say anyone from the Providence metro in effect could voice an opinion, as long as its not a NIMBY suburban opinion without any backing...  Planning needs regionalism anyway.

I guess that makes me a YIMBY suburban opinion?  

[JimmyGreaves]

Garris, on Jul 17 2006, 11:33 PM, said:

Good luck.  I've tried using that argument here on the East Side and just get this back at me   .  People don't see the environment beyond the green they can see from their living room windows and feel more density equals more people and more parking...

If you've got another way to spin the argument, please let me know, because the blunt approach doesn't seem to work...

- Garris

I think we have to accept that some will not be convinced of the benefits of dense urban development.  The opportunities lie in the thousands of people who simply haven't reached out to.  Again, these could be our friends, co-workers, small business owners, food servers, etc.  This is something we can talk about in our meeting on Friday, but I feel there are a lot of Rhode Islanders out there who would support our position if we first state the issues that we stand for that would be improved with sustainable dense urban development: affordable housing, open space preservation, jobs, improved neighborhood services, transportation, and taxes.  This might involve simply talking to people we might be standing in line with or who are serving our food.  Residents need to see hope for the future, and if they feel involved in smart urban planning through Providence Tomorrow, they will.

[brick]

JimmyGreaves, on Jul 18 2006, 08:54 AM, said:

I think we have to accept that some will not be convinced of the benefits of dense urban development.

I really think that part of the problem is that the East Side is basically Providence's wealthy suburb.  Barrington could be considered but it is almost like an exurb or something.  Regardless, if I were drawing comparisons:

Providence:East Side, Barrington
Boston:Newton, Wellesley, Weston, Milton, et al
Philadelphia:Radnor, Gladwyne, et al

Basically the point is that the East Side is not an urban upscale neighborhood like Boston's Back Bay or Philly's Society Hill.  It's a plce where wealthy people have gone to escape the city "problems" while also being close to it.  Whether portions of the East Side should be more urban is obviously up for debate, and I think it should.  However I can easily see the area roughly bounded by Hope St., Blackstone Blvd. and Angell as inappropriate for urban development at this point.  however the WSNA goes all the way out to Rochambeau or something, doesn't it?  I guess what I'm saying is that I can see why people living down on Cole St. think any urban development is inappropriate.  I also think those people should have little to no bearing on what happens in the area bounded by Gano, the river, and Angell.

[Cotuit]

brick, on Jul 18 2006, 09:22 AM, said:

Providence:East Side
Boston:Newton

How about:

Providence:East Side
Boston:Brookline

Convince the people on the East Side they should be more like Brookline, sure parts of it will remain leafy and bucolic, just like southwestern Brookline, but parts need to be urban, just like Coolidge Corner and Brookline Village.

And this all probably needs to be moved to another thread.

[mental757]

they certainly are cutting a LOT of trees in Coventry, even though there are plenty of nice (pre-existing) houses on the market...

[coleslaw]

I'm all for density, as long as it is in the appropriate place.  How to tell what is "appropriate"?  Is there a bus line along the street?  Is the street wide enough to handle XXX additional people living on it?  Based on this criteria, Wayland Square would not be the place for more density whilst Elmwood Ave. could handle more.

[Cotuit]

coleslaw, on Jul 18 2006, 03:36 PM, said:

I'm all for density, as long as it is in the appropriate place.  How to tell what is "appropriate"?  Is there a bus line along the street?  Is the street wide enough to handle XXX additional people living on it?  Based on this criteria, Wayland Square would not be the place for more density whilst Elmwood Ave. could handle more.

I don't understand what the width of the street should have to do with anything. Wayland certainly has the busline capacity, if only RIPTA could afford to run more frequent service.

[coleslaw]

Cotuit, on Jul 18 2006, 01:44 PM, said:

I don't understand what the width of the street should have to do with anything. Wayland certainly has the busline capacity, if only RIPTA could afford to run more frequent service.

What are talking about here?  I'm thinking that the highest a building should be in Wayland Square is 3-4 stories.  What is your thinking?  Where will you put all of the new residents' cars?

Wayland Ave. and its surrounding streets don't have the capacity to handle additional traffic.  Remember, there are new residential projects being constructed at the Gibbs site and down in Richmond Square.  It remains to be seen what their impact on the Square will be.  

And I think we know that we cannot count on RIPTA to add anything, sadly.

[Cotuit]

coleslaw, on Jul 19 2006, 09:47 AM, said:

What are talking about here?  I'm thinking that the highest a building should be in Wayland Square is 3-4 stories.

I wouldn't automatically rule out 5 or 6 floors where appropriate. No one's looking to change Wayland Square into Westminster Street, but it is one of the city's retail and residential hubs. It makes sense to have a concentration of people living there.

The traffic in the Wayland section of town can be better managed with better coordination of streetlights and better wayfinding in the area. A couple people who don't know where they are can throw off the entire traffic system. A bypass connecting Power Street to East Side Market and Butler Ave. could also keep a lot of through traffic out of the square itself.

And I wouldn't count RIPTA out yet.

[JimmyGreaves]

Any update on a location for Friday?

[Cotuit]

JimmyGreaves, on Jul 19 2006, 10:14 AM, said:

Any update on a location for Friday?

I was thinking about that. I was going to suggest we just meet in Waterplace Park, now they're saying that tropical storm might be here Friday.

Anyone have any preferences? We could do old standby, Trinity.

[runawayjim]

Cotuit, on Jul 19 2006, 10:30 AM, said:

I was thinking about that. I was going to suggest we just meet in Waterplace Park, now they're saying that tropical storm might be here Friday.

Anyone have any preferences? We could do old standby, Trinity.

possible thunderstorms for friday... trinity works for me assuming i'm given permission to go...