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IN PROGRESS: American Locomotive Works (ALCO)


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With this new office space that will apparently be larger than gtech and amex combined, how much will that affect downtown Providence as far as getting a new office tower? I know we had some hinting of one in the past year to expect and announcement this year.

I dont see it as too much of a threat, these types of office space development tend to cater to those smaller businesses needing office space with less than 5-10 employees. Examples include a small local accounting firm, law offices, maybe offices for a small franchise chain managment etc... These types of outfits really wouldnt end up in an office tower in the city.

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I'm wicked pumped up for this project!

Some things I'd like to see:

Install underground wiring along Kinsley and Valley. That would make it a much more pleasant environment, especially with the river right there. For that "clean" look of green grass and flowing waters around the property, you want to take down the telephone poles and accentuate the streetlights.

Do something with the Tortelotte Warehouse across from the 903 NOW!!! I hate this building and if it was blown up I would thank the lord, but now is the time to redevelop it and establish its position in the neighborhood for the future. This SBE&R project will include retail, and the fruit market building has to find its niche between the big mall and the smaller retailers down Valley St. After the Gulf on Atwells and the Cranston St. trolley barn, I believe this property will be the hat trick and we'll see some kind of tower planned for the site around 2010. Unless they do something now.

Get rid of the railroad tracks in the middle of Harris Ave. How long has it been since these were live tracks? Also, Providence Place (the street) is a total mess in front of the 903 and it doesn't look like there are any plans to smooth it out. Is there a reason for this? The roads, signage, lighting, and sidewalks need to be improved if people are going to want to come to this neighborhood. Its also time to plan for better walking access to downtown from Harris, Kinsley and Providence Place.

The only other thing I can think of now would be traffic. I never have anyone else to contend with while driving on Kinsley Ave. between Eagle and Dean any time of the day. Yet if you try to drive from Atwells Ave down Dean to Chalkstone Ave. it could take 15-20 minutes on any given afternoon. Every car getting off the Mall exit ends up at the light at Burger King. And many of these people are trying to get to Atwells near Shaw's (turn right after the 903) or Smith Hill (Holden St. is right there). Nobody knows Kinsley and Harris exist, few people use River Ave, hardly anyone turns left on Kinsley from Dean because they all fight the traffic up to Valley. Its getting to be like Olneyville Square over here.

This should be looked at as the project progresses.

http://www.projo.com/metro/content/projo_2...s9.491a244.html

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This project is only get bigger I bet. The property next to Nicholson File (the one in between Tingley and Harris) has been getting band-aid maintenance for years. Anyone notice the blue tarp covering the roof that been there for like a month now? I can easily imagine the owners selling out to SBER eventually.

What I'd really like to see as well is for the redevelopment reach the intersection of Kinsley and Pleasant Valley/Dean St. which is way too much like a highway interchange. It would be great to have a more pedestrian friendy intersection there so people can walk easily from ALCO to downcity or up to Federal Hill.

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This project is only get bigger I bet. The property next to Nicholson File (the one in between Tingley and Harris) has been getting band-aid maintenance for years. Anyone notice the blue tarp covering the roof that been there for like a month now? I can easily imagine the owners selling out to SBER eventually.

What I'd really like to see as well is for the redevelopment reach the intersection of Kinsley and Pleasant Valley/Dean St. which is way too much like a highway interchange. It would be great to have a more pedestrian friendy intersection there so people can walk easily from ALCO to downcity or up to Federal Hill.

And just to add to those great points, if the city (or dot) could duplicate the gano street bridge were atwells meets harris, that would just about solve all of the connection issues reagarding Promenade to Atwells. It would have to go over Rt. 6. But i think an idae along those lines would spark intrest in the promenade area from the hill, were as walking to eagle sq. turing onto harris right now seems really nasty.

As for the mall, eeeeeee thats needs attention. If for the very least a lighting campaign is used to guide foot traffic towrds water place and beyond...

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And just to add to those great points, if the city (or dot) could duplicate the gano street bridge were atwells meets harris, that would just about solve all of the connection issues reagarding Promenade to Atwells. It would have to go over Rt. 6. But i think an idae along those lines would spark intrest in the promenade area from the hill, were as walking to eagle sq. turing onto harris right now seems really nasty.

My proposals for rebuilding the Dean Street interchange include a new bridge at Acorn.

DeanStreetALT1.jpg-thumb_140_105.jpg

DeanStreet.jpg-thumb_140_105.jpg

Click thumbnails to enlarge.

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But facing a $300 million budget deficit, Gov. Donald L. Carcieri last month said he wanted to amend the historic tax credit program. The governor has not recommended specific changes, yet Struever noted that any retroactive measures that impact the American Locomotive project could influence investors.

http://www.pbn.com/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/119907

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My proposals for rebuilding the Dean Street interchange include a new bridge at Acorn.

Where is all that land north of Spruce coming from? That's a Federal Hill of a different color!

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Where is all that land north of Spruce coming from? That's a Federal Hill of a different color!

The current interchange has a big looping ramp set, get rid of that and you free up tons of land north of Spruce.

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The current interchange has a big looping ramp set, get rid of that and you free up tons of land north of Spruce.

There has been discussion, maybe at the Atwells charrette, of constructing parking structures in the land north of Spruce, even inside the curve of the ramp with a bridge connection to Spruce, to help solve the Atwells parking problem. It's not to hard to imagine a great pedestrian bridge from the same area across to Harris. A big effort, but with this project beginning, it is a natural connection.

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The current interchange has a big looping ramp set, get rid of that and you free up tons of land north of Spruce.

You get rid of the loop, you kill that jughandle, and you have no Dean St. ramp to 95/195. :huh:

Does anybody have any pictures of that area pre-Route 10? Was that a blighted area at one point in the 50's that got demolished down the middle like Woodlawn and South Providence?

I was blown away by those old pics of the Chinese wall, pre-Capital Center. I believe Garris dug them up.

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You get rid of the loop, you kill that jughandle, and you have no Dean St. ramp to 95/195. :huh:

See the maps on the previous page, I'd redesign the interchange so the loop ramps weren't needed, it still have all it's access, and them some actually.

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See the maps on the previous page, I'd redesign the interchange so the loop ramps weren't needed, it still have all it's access, and them some actually.

So all your access to 10N would be from Acorn, and all traffic to Federal Hill and Promenade would still come out on Dean. This all looks really promising...

However, is there any shot of it actually happening?

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So all your access to 10N would be from Acorn, and all traffic to Federal Hill and Promenade would still come out on Dean. This all looks really promising...

However, is there any shot of it actually happening?

Nope! It's too good of an idea for DOT to ever pursue. Maybe in 30 years when some politicians child gets killed trying to walk across Dean St. or something...

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Nope! It's too good of an idea for DOT to ever pursue. Maybe in 30 years when some politicians child gets killed trying to walk across Dean St. or something...

The idea I liked about it was it would allow Federal Hill commuters access to the 6/10 connecter to 95 and 195E without clogging up Atwells towards downtown and the Service Road heading south to Friendship St.

There would need to be some real vision for Federal Hill. A NEW New Cities to go with the New Neighborhood at the Promenade for Cotuit's plan to happen.

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So all your access to 10N would be from Acorn, and all traffic to Federal Hill and Promenade would still come out on Dean. This all looks really promising...

However, is there any shot of it actually happening?

Nope! It's too good of an idea for DOT to ever pursue. Maybe in 30 years when some politicians child gets killed trying to walk across Dean St. or something...

As far as cars are concerned, the interchange works now, and the bridges aren't falling down like they are at the 6/10 interchange, so I don't really see the state spending money here, unfortunately. Something will be done to improve it, just not anything as ambitious as what I outlined. Though much of the cost would be offset by the state selling off the land that the loop ramps sit on now.

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