31 replies to this topic

[glassandsteel]

Perhaps we could just get totally ridiculous and see if any of it materializes. Personally, I would like to see the next building over thirty floors have a giant beam of light shoot straight up from the top or a building in the shape of a giant hand reaching out of the earth. Hell, even if somebody pulled a watered-down version of something like that I would still think it was awesome.

[TheAnk]

glassandsteel, on Jan 13 2005, 02:52 PM, said:

Perhaps we could just get totally ridiculous and see if any of it materializes.  Personally, I would like to see the next building over thirty floors have a giant beam of light shoot straight up from the top or a building in the shape of a giant hand reaching out of the earth.  Hell, even if somebody pulled a watered-down version of something like that I would still think it was awesome.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hilarious...

The Westminster idea to open to auto traffic should be the #1 initiative downtown right now.. Its a wasted gem..

As far as a grocery store going downtown.. I don't think that will ever happen.. There are tons of them in the surrounding neighborhoods, and with Whole Foods in Mt Hope and Shaws in Eagle Square minutes away, and with a very small resident population in Downcity, it doesn't make good business sense to put on there.. So, downtown residents will have to continue to sustain life strictly on a steady diet of Taquitos bought @ 7-11...

[provid]

And now they have another 711 on Wayboss.

However don't forget about peapod. I never travel inorder to get grocery items.

Whats this all you are saying about Westminster closed to auto traffic? Cars drive down it all day long unless you are talking about another Westminster?

Edited by mikepl, 13 January 2005 - 02:31 PM.

[Cotuit]

TheAnk, on Jan 13 2005, 03:00 PM, said:

So, downtown residents will have to continue to sustain life strictly on a steady diet of Taquitos bought @ 7-11...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I don't think we'll see a Shaw's Downcity, I agree, even if you include the Jewelry District population there is not the population base to support it. But New York has many small scale grocers like that also do a good business in prepared foods. Something small scale like that could do well. It would attract the lunch crowd to it's prepared foods (I miss New York salad makers at lunch) and also the college students in dorms. And would provide a grocery need for residents. Residents would likely make weekly or bi-weekly trips to Shaw's or Whole Foods for essentials, but day to day groceries could be provided by a small store Downcity. Office workers may even pick up items on their way home so they don't have to stop at a suburban hell grocery store on the way.

[Cotuit]

mikepl, on Jan 13 2005, 03:28 PM, said:

Whats this all you are saying about Westminster closed to auto traffic? Cars drive down it all day long unless you are talking about another Westminster?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's closed through Cathedral Square. If it were open through there it would be a good crosstown route and get more traffic. The city keeps talking about opening it, but I haven't heard anything about it in a while.

Where's the 7-11 on Weybosset? Over by J&W? I haven't been over there in a while. It's amazing how narrow my travels through the city are, I need to get out more.

[provid]

Heck I would like to see it closed off from the light till the interesection with the church.

Nowhere to park the street anyhow plus the new 400car parking gar. is going up. Closing off the street would promote walking in the new section / downcity. Plus you would have the foot traffic from all the new apts. Talk about a nice street to live on without any cars outfront and lots of people walking the street.

I hate cars in the city. They have enough roads.

711 is in the old Payless shoe store.

Edited by mikepl, 13 January 2005 - 03:08 PM.

[Cotuit]

mikepl, on Jan 13 2005, 04:06 PM, said:

Heck I would like to see it closed off from the light till the interesection with the church.

Nowhere to park the street anyhow plus the new 400car parking gar. is going up. Closing off the street would promote walking in the new section / downcity. Plus you would have the foot traffic from all the new apts. Talk about a nice street to live on without any cars outfront and lots of people walking the street.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They tried closing down the Downcity section of Westminster before, it was a flop. There's a really delicate balance to making a pedestian street work. You need really good density, lots of retail, and mixed uses for the buildings. Downtown Crossing in Boston works, but many cities are returning pedestrian streets to automobile use. Traffic adds to the hustle and bustle sense of city street life, and research has shown that people feel more comfortable on streets where cars are parked. Maybe it's a sense that the parked cars represent people that must be nearby. People seem not to like open spaces in cities, feeling alone in a big space equates to a feeling of danger. It could work if Providence had many many more people Downcity, but we won't see the density to make it work for a long time.

mikepl, on Jan 13 2005, 04:06 PM, said:

711 is in the old Payless shoe store.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Awefully close to the Kennedy Plaza one, but I bet it gets a lot of J&W kids.

[TheAnk]

Cotuit, on Jan 13 2005, 04:20 PM, said:

Traffic adds to the hustle and bustle sense of city street life, and research has shown that people feel more comfortable on streets where cars are parked. Maybe it's a sense that the parked cars represent people that must be nearby. People seem not to like open spaces in cities, feeling alone in a big space equates to a feeling of danger.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Interesting.. And I feel this way.. Busy = safe for some reason to me..

[provid]

Unless you are driving down Benefit street when cars are parked on bothsides

[Garris]

I always thought that Westminster could work in a pedestrian fashion like the one in Burlington, but perhaps not... I thought I remember reading that the Church was also in favor of knocking down its square and the auditorium as well, but the issue seems to have vanished from view.

In fact, does it seem to everyone that almost all "big idea" city planning has vanished from view recently? The city seems to be slogging through the zoning issues at present. The current idea seems to be that no additional planning can happen until the zoning and parking and master plan issues are resolved. Progress is pretty slow, though...

- Garris

Oh, and there's a new Chipotle style Mexican grille across from J&W too now, right?

[provid]

Burlington's pedestrian section is about the best any city could do. Its always very busy with wonderful (high end) shops on both sides. Plus Burlington has parking everywhere.

Yes I forgot about the Grille. I've been twice and thought the food was very good for the price.

Edited by mikepl, 14 January 2005 - 09:43 AM.

[Cotuit]

Garris, on Jan 13 2005, 11:26 PM, said:

Oh, and there's a new Chipotle style Mexican grille across from J&W too now, right?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've heard good things about that place and need to make a point to go there at some point.

I went to the new 7-11 last night, I needed to pick up a copy of the Globe so I decided to head there since I hadn't been on Weybosset in a while.

Not that a convenience store is the greatest thing to happen to a city, but that place is BRIGHT! It chases away a lot of the shadows in that area of town and makes it feel much safer.