2120 replies to this topic

[provid]

"Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini ruled in June that the ordinance underpinning the Downcity district was technically flawed, improperly implemented and is void. City officials are moving to reinstate the district by reenacting the ordinance in a way that would withstand court scrutiny, as well as taking other steps. His ruling is under appeal.

But, for the time being, some property owners believe the city's legal shield has dropped and they are free to knock down what they see as functionally obsolete buildings that stand in the way of economic development."



I think its a shame if these other two building are torn down for parking. These parking lots look just as bad. ( well besides the buck a book building ) This building has been approved to be torn down.



artinruins

Edited by mikepl, 09 February 2005 - 05:43 PM.

[Cotuit]

I can't say that I'll lose any sleep over the loss of this building. I understand that it has an interesting facade buried in it somewhere, but in it's current state, it is just in the way.

I'm not happy that it's coming down for a parking lot. There should be no parking lots in that section of town. What I would like to see is the building taken down and it's lot and the neighbouring parking lot developed into a slender tower. The 1st and 2nd floors can be retail spaces incorporated into the Arcade (a good anchor for the Arcade could help it). Then the upper levels could be townhouses.

[provid]

What im not happy about is they also want to make these two buildings into parking:

[Cotuit]

Those two coming down, I am dead set against razing, and I suggest we all tie ourselves to the bulldozers.

[provid]

Yeah they want to make the smoke shop into parking ( addon to the current lot ). How nasty would that look?

Same goes for the one near the buck a book building.

Edited by mikepl, 09 February 2005 - 10:19 PM.

[glassandsteel]

I don't know if anybody has ever been inside that last one, but I can understand why a developer would rather tear it down than renovate. A friend of mine used to live in that building (which I used to call "the tube" because all the rooms were in a straight line) and it was a horrible mess; the bathtub was on the living room side of the bathroom wall (no shower, just an intimate bath with her friends while having a laugh about it), the wiring was apparently so inconceivably screwed from makeshift repair that it would have to be redone from scratch, the entire interior needed repair, etc. I'm not sure if the cost to do all the work it needed done would exceed the price of starting from scratch but in the end, you'd spend an obscene amount of money to end up with an outdated, building of little or no profit. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise, we could eventually end up with something interesting in that spot. I just wish they would wait till then to tear down a building that would only add about four parking spaces worth of land.

[Cotuit]

glassandsteel, on Feb 9 2005, 11:17 PM, said:

Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise, we could eventually end up with something interesting in that spot.  I just wish they would wait till then to tear down a building that would only add about four parking spaces worth of land.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If there was a plan to replace it, then sure, tear it down. There are some cities that have laws in that regard, nothing can come down until there is a plan and money to replace it. Providence needs to do this ASAP. They also need to get the zoning laws in order so that it is fair to the developers. It shouldn't take a team of lawyers, thousands of dollars (in graft), and mob connections to get something built in this city.

[provid]

Intereesting you know someone who lived in that building...

We'll I would think if you could put two huge lofts ( one on each floor ) Just across the way large lofts are selling for $900,000. I just cant picture that whole area looking very nice (open). It is a nice plot of land for a very large building but it would just become another makeshift parking lot.





Talking down this building would be a joke....its large and extends way back. The thought of 30 parking spaces what a shame.

Edited by mikepl, 09 February 2005 - 10:33 PM.

[Cotuit]

Developers lay out plans for 32-residential tower in downtown Providence
projo.com staff | February 24, 2005



PROVIDENCE -- Two developers joined Mayor David N. Cicilline this morning in announcing plans for a 32-story residential tower in the city's financial district.

The $90 million project would include 130 new "city homes," or luxury condominiums, at 110 Westminster St. , a site formerly occupied by a Buck-A-Book store and next to the historic Arcade shopping mall.

When completed, the tower would be the tallest residential structure in Rhode Island, according to a press release handed out at this morning's news conference.

Its luxury condominiums would range from 900 to 3,500 square feet and are expected to sell for $500,000 to $2.5 million.

Granoff Associates of Providence and BlueChip Properties of Boston would develop the project, called "One Ten Westminster."

The tower would abut the well-known Turk's Head building on the east and be built on a site flanked by Weybosset Street, Westminster Street and the Arcade building, which links the two streets and will connect the new tower, according to the press release.

According to the developers, the project meets planning and zoning regulations. They say it would be built without any city or state subsidies.

The developers have not yet begun the permitting process, although they say they expect to break ground by the end of this year and complete the project by late 2007.

From The Providence Journal

Thanks to billypc99 for diggin up these renderings

[billypc99]

All in one day, insane....Today seems surreal

[provid]

No way! what a great use for that space

[Cotuit]

This was my dream for this space. This is exactly what I said needed to be done here. Looks like the historic building at 110 is going in addition to Buck-a-Book. I'm not happy about that, but when it was originally proposed to be torn down, it was said to be for parking. If it must go, then we need something like this to replace it.

[Cotuit]

OneTenProv.com

[billypc99]

http://www.onetenpro...eten_aerial.jpg

[billypc99]

http://www.onetenpro...ten_skyline.jpg

http://www.onetenpro...sset_facade.jpg

[Cotuit]

Awesome renderings billy!

I'll edit them tonight so that I can post them in the thread. They're huge!

[billypc99]

http://www.onetenprov.com/news/media/ONE%2...R%20RELEASE.pdf

[Garris]

Stunned, just stunned... This is sooooo surreal! Reading the PDF that billypc99 posted the link to was almost as if all of us here got together and planned a tower that none of us could afford to live in... Wow! I don't know what to say...

So, this tower, Parcel 2, likely new Citizen's HQ, two Federal Hill towers, a new Hilton tower, the "Power Block," the Westin Hotel Expansion, maybe Capitol Cove, G-Tech being built as we speak, the Masonic Temple Project, Peerless, the Lofts Parking Building, and, in the distant future, the 195 land... It's like a new Providence! Cotuit, get to work updating your projects listing. You should probably post somewhere else on the urbanplanet site to give others an idea of the development orgy that's taken place here today!

- Garris

... sneaking fears about too much retail everywhere, but with all these new residents, maybe it'll work!

Edited by Garris, 24 February 2005 - 11:48 AM.

[Cotuit]

Garris, on Feb 24 2005, 12:47 PM, said:

Cotuit, get to work updating your projects listing.  You should probably post somewhere else on the urbanplanet site to give others an idea of the development orgy that's taken place here today!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'll probably work up a mini-version of the in-progress and immenent projects to post in the main forum, as well as updating the Project thread in here this weekend.

I've also asked Neo, the forum owner, if there's anything we can do to boost UPs search engine rankings, I just did a couple searches and we're not hitting yet, it takes a while for the search engines to refresh though.

I know we have some lurkers here who will want to start talking about this (we've already seen a few de-lurk) and there are people out there who don't know about UP yet.

[eltron]

Cotuit, on Feb 24 2005, 01:17 PM, said:

Developers lay out plans for 32-residential tower in downtown Providence
projo.com staff | February 24, 2005



Its luxury condominiums would range from 900 to 3,500 square feet and are expected to sell for $500,000 to $2.5 million.

From The Providence Journal

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Un-freakin-believable.

These prices translate to $555/sf to $717/sf ! I'm completely flabbergasted. Manhattan prices! We have definitly just reset the top of the market.

Well, gotta say, it is pretty exciting. A slender tower will be very cool down there, and the design looks pretty good...

I still just refuse to believe that people with that much money is going to live in Providence. Unbelievable...