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WANDERING: MetroLofts

oak

By oak
in Providence Projects and Construction

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oak Unincorporated Area

oak

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From the legal notices in today's Journal for the February 21, 2006 Providence Zoning Board of Review Hearing:

John Readey, Jr., Six Hundred Eighty One Westminster, LLC and State of Rhode Island Owners and 02903 Realty Partners, LLC Applicant: 673-693 Westminster Street and 322-332 Washington Street at Service Road 7 for the construction of a new 18-story building containing 164 residential units, retail space and a health club. The existing commercial building on lot 254 is proposed to be demolished.

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Frankie811 City

Frankie811

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From the legal notices in today's Journal for the February 21, 2006 Providence Zoning Board of Review Hearing:

John Readey, Jr., Six Hundred Eighty One Westminster, LLC and State of Rhode Island Owners and 02903 Realty Partners, LLC Applicant: 673-693 Westminster Street and 322-332 Washington Street at Service Road 7 for the construction of a new 18-story building containing 164 residential units, retail space and a health club. The existing commercial building on lot 254 is proposed to be demolished.

Across the street from the public safety complex!!!??? With sirens blasting all day!?

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Mij Whistle-Stop

Mij

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Across the street from the public safety complex!!!??? With sirens blasting all day!?

The Regency Plaza was always considered the elite in city living for Providence and it was right next to the old public safty complex.

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Frankie811 City

Frankie811

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The Regency Plaza was always considered the elite in city living for Providence and it was right next to the old public safty complex.

True. Next door to this property (344 Washington St) is housing for low income people.

This property would have been a good location for a mid priced motel. Right by the highway and close to downtown.

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Frankie811 City

Frankie811

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From the legal notices in today's Journal for the February 21, 2006 Providence Zoning Board of Review Hearing:

John Readey, Jr., Six Hundred Eighty One Westminster, LLC and State of Rhode Island Owners and 02903 Realty Partners, LLC Applicant: 673-693 Westminster Street and 322-332 Washington Street at Service Road 7 for the construction of a new 18-story building containing 164 residential units, retail space and a health club. The existing commercial building on lot 254 is proposed to be demolished.

The address for 02903 Realty Partners is The Procaccianti Group's Cranston office. John Ready is the former owner of JR's Fast Lane which use to be where the public safety complex sits. 681 Westminster, LLC is a Hartford company.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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I believe this is the so-called Metro Lofts project. Thom Deller assured me a while back that this was still very much in the pipeline (back when the Cicular Gas Station and Hilton Residences projects fell by the wayside). I'm especially interested because I'd be interested in living here or at West Fountain Street. The recently proposed West Side Common on Washington Street would make this property all the more attractive.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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A drawing I did to illustrate the location a while back, for anyone who can't picture where it is:

MetroLoftsMap001.jpg

Back in August Thom Deller said they were looking to build between 210 and 230 feet, which as Garris noted, is Biltmore sized.

Good find on the Legal Notices by the way, oak. :thumbsup:

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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What building is proposed to be demolished? Just want to be sure its not one that has a significant street facade on Westminster... and if so, the replacements design had better be good..

Most of the site is empty, from what I understand, the building now housing Joseph Merritt on the Westminster side would be demolished. As far as I can tell, that is a wholly unremarkable one story cinder block building built late last century. My understanding is that Joseph Merritt has a new home to move to, so we don't have to worry about losing those jobs.

The Advent (?) Apartments on the corner of Washington and Dean would be staying as far as I know. And the historic buildings on Westminster would also stay. Parts or all of Stewart and Lyman Streets would be condemned.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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Here's a better view of the site from Windows Live Local.

You can see the surface lots on the site, Joseph Merritt is the white one-story building in the foreground with the blue awning on Westminster.

I would like to see the Surface Road reduced to 2 lanes with one lane of parking (it does not need to have 3 travel lanes), and see streetfront development along it, so as to make it more of a city street and less an extention of the highway.

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basachs Burg

basachs

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I have always liked this idea. With west fountain becoming more and more a reality, this is a welcome addition. Provides more of a customer base for the retail planned for West Fountain and for the existing retail on Westminster itself. If these come to pass, perhaps those little shops on Westminster wont turn over so much. Right now the space formerly occupied by OkieDokie has been vacant for months. That is a good little area, potential wise.

In related news, anyone see this listing for the condo right above White Electric? Its right around the corner from the proposed MetroLofts development and they should take a page from this for the project.

http://www.rirealestate.com/nmar0063.htm

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KBagley Whistle-Stop

KBagley

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I was just using Windows Live Local this morning to check out a thretened historic house in East Greenwich... didnt even think of using it to check this.. d'oh!

Sounds like this will be a great project.. I'm really excited by development in this area that will tie the two sides of the highway together better...

This project might also light a fire under the Westminster crossing project??

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KBagley Whistle-Stop

KBagley

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In related news, anyone see this listing for the condo right above White Electric? Its right around the corner from the proposed MetroLofts development and they should take a page from this for the project.

http://www.rirealestate.com/nmar0063.htm

The 500sq ft private terrace for that condo is not going to be so private once Metro Lofts is built... they will lose their views too....

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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In related news, anyone see this listing for the condo right above White Electric? Its right around the corner from the proposed MetroLofts development and they should take a page from this for the project.

http://www.rirealestate.com/nmar0063.htm

My birthday's coming up, I think if you all chipped in you could buy this for me. :lol:

If MetroLofts happens though, the view dissappears.

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jencoleslaw Town

jencoleslaw

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18 stories is entirely too tall. We complain all the time about how the west side is "cut off" from the rest of providence and now we're allowing "walls" of buildings to be built right on the edge of the neighborhood? I'm all for turning parking lots into housing but 18 stories? currently what is allowed for zoning there is 4 i think.

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Jerry2 Hamlet

Jerry2

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18 stories is entirely too tall. We complain all the time about how the west side is "cut off" from the rest of providence and now we're allowing "walls" of buildings to be built right on the edge of the neighborhood? I'm all for turning parking lots into housing but 18 stories? currently what is allowed for zoning there is 4 i think.

Dominican Villa at the corner of Atwells and Service Road is 15 stories. YMCA building is 12. I think they add depth to the city more than cut off the West Side.

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DaveRPI Whistle-Stop

DaveRPI

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yea, you gotta watch out for those big bad scary tall bldgs... they will bully you into not going downcity! lol

you gotta be kidding me!?!? live and let live, make money and let make money

maybe it'll block your view of all those drivers going 50 in the high speed lane on 95, lol

to be profitable enough for investors, bldgs need to contain a certain number of units...

complaints about height only cut the yield to investors and they will take their money elsewhere.

it happens all the time... its not greed- its profit and companies dont exist without it, which means jobs dont exist without it, people dont buy things from other people when they have no job, so those businesses go out of business, etc etc, on and on, you see the cycle???

what would you rather have? a neighborhood full of grundgy auto scrap yards and unkempt and massive surface parking lots OR a building that would attract other investment to the neighborhood and connect it with downtown not just visually, but financially...

as long as it doesnt look like the dominica manor bldg, I'm all for it

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Liamlunchtray Burg

Liamlunchtray

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18 stories is entirely too tall.

I have no problem at all with tall buildings making there way over here. I think it will actually serve more to incorporate the west end with downcity. Without any tall buildings it gives the feeling that the "real" city just stops at 95. Having projects on the other side of the highway will help diminish the gap that 95 creates.

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Cotuit Megalopolis

Cotuit

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18 stories is entirely too tall.

Don't let the fact that probably just about everyone will disagree with you on this point turn you off to UrbanPlanet.

The thing is, that whether a building is one story or 100, to the average 6 footish human, it's a wall. I have not seen any of the proposed renderings of this building yet, but judging from the size of the site, I would assume that we will not be seeing a massive 18 story building covering the entire site. The Planning Department is very much conscious of trying to get buildings to have set backs that reduce the overall appearance of the building's height from the street. (the Knight Street condos notwithstanding) There are some smaller scale buildings along Westminster Street, but generally there is not very much in the immediate area to compare this building to and state that it is 'out of scale.' It will not for example be looming over 2 story homes.

In my opinion, far from creating a wall, a building of this scale in this location helps to visually connect Downcity to the near West Side. I wouldn't like to see something of this scale anymore than a block west of Dean Street, but situated between the highway and Dean I think it is perfectly appropriate. One would hope we won't see a disconnected tower such as Dominica Manor, but rather something that comes to the street, with retail and a tower that is setback. We need to keep on the Planning Department to ensure that they hold the developers to building an urban friendly structure.

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