PAWTUCKET STATION THREATENED

[pdxstreetcar]

This is terrible.

I had thought that since the station was over active railroad tracks it would have made this silent overnight demolition scenerio impossible. How can a building like this be torn down while making sure debris doesnt fall on the tracks below?

I'll try to get pictures to post here but it probably wont be for a few days.

[JimmyGreaves]

I had thought that since the station was over active railroad tracks it would have made this silent overnight demolition scenerio impossible. How can a building like this be torn down while making sure debris doesnt fall on the tracks below?

No kidding...Maybe they can add wreckless endangerment to illegal demolition charges.

[orulz]

What the f***.

I've been watching the saga of this neat little train station unfold from here in NC, and I can't believe this terrible news.

At the very least, because of the damage this slimeball has done to the building, Pawtucket will be able to take the property with emminent domain for a much lower price.

Hopefully this is not completely unsalvagable.

[brick]

I just drove by. Channel 10 was there with a full crew, looks like there will be some report tonight. I don't know who was there earlier. Quite a few folks meandering on the road, I assume a UPer or two.

My big question here is what about the church that was in there? The last time I drove by on a Sunday, about a month ago, the parking lot was half full. Did this fudgenut go ahead and destroy their place of worship or had they been displaced earlier?

[pdxstreetcar]

Channel 10 was there with a full crew, looks like there will be some report tonight.

NBC 10 also just mentioned it on one of those brief newsbreaks for the 11pm news tonight, sounds like the lead story.

[Frankie811]

Depot gets go for T stop

After weighing dozens of factors from costs and convenience to spinoff economic impact, a city-hired engineering consultant rated the former train station property on Broad Street as far and away the top potential site for a new T station.

http://www.pawtuckettimes.com/site/news.cf...24491&rfi=6

[webbage]

This is really a shame. I saw this site while driving through the Bucket a couple of weeks ago, and even though the building isn't in the best shape I saw a lot of potential. Hopefully too much damage wasn't done.

[bloodyrocker]

I just got this email from PADS:

PAWTUCKET/CENTRAL FALLS DEPOT DEMOLITION HAS BEGUN!

Demolition of the Pawtucket-Central Falls Railroad Station began this

afternoon. Yesterday the City of Central Falls issued Bilray

Demolition Co. a demolition permit, and today they used a backhoe

with a hydraulic claw to remove the decorative cast concrete cornice

and ornamentation from the north wing (not the grand central

entrance) facing Broad Street (see attached photo for demolition

progress as of 3:00 p.m. today). There was no evidence of the

masonry pieces being numbered for storage as promised by property

developer Ike Seelbinder of SMPO Properties in recent newspaper

articles.

This action took place the day after transportation consultants VHB

presented findings at a Station Stakeholders meeting in Pawtucket

that clearly ranked the Station as the superior potential commuter

rail station site compared to the nearby Providence & Worcester

Railroad freight yard on Pine Street (site of the proposed trash

transfer station) (see attached PDF of the newspaper article from

today’s Pawtucket Times).

This afternoon, the City of Pawtucket succeeded in obtaining an eight-

day court restraining order against any further demolition.

Tomorrow night—Wednesday, December 6th, at a Hearing beginning at

7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Pawtucket City Hall, the

Pawtucket Redevelopment Authority will request the City Council to

amend the city's Redevelopment Plan to enable the PRA to acquire the

train station by eminent domain, which would insure plans for the

station’s future that include preservation, commuter rail, and

sensible transit-oriented development. Please come to the hearing to

show your concern for the station, hear testimony which will weigh

heavily in the determination of the station’s future, and support

and encourage the City to negotiate with CVS to develop a plan that

saves the station and makes sense for the site. There will be

opportunity for public comment.

Now—tonight or tomorrow morning—is the time for you to contact

your City Councilor to voice your concern about the future of the

station, and to urge them to support the PRA amendment.

Call the Pawtucket City Clerk’s office at 728-0500 for councilor

contact information, or email the councilors at:

[email protected], [email protected],

[email protected],

[email protected], [email protected],

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected],

[email protected], [email protected],

[runawayjim]

i just watched the report on channel 10. it was very brief, but probably all they could put together in such short notice. they interviewed 2 residents, one who was adamantly against the demolition and another who seemed a bit less informed saying "developmint would be good here because it'd bring businesses and people" supposedly representing "most of the residents". they had the pawtucket mayor on who said that they have an 8 day restraining order which prevents the developers from touching the building. apparently there was a demo permit from central falls, which is where they started the demolition. the mayor is in favor of saving the building and the city council is going to vote tomorrow night at their meeting on whether or not to do something or other to take it by eminent domain, which i think is a good use for eminent domain. they also had some guy from the pawtucket foundation on speaking about it.

[Cotuit]

Judge derails demolition Pawtucket officials race to save station [The Providence Journal]

[JimmyGreaves]

No where in this Projo report mentions the fact that this demolition was illegal.

[jencoleslaw]

i do not understand why CF would give out a demo permit, unless Pawtucket was not communicating any of the E.D. stuff to them, and if that was the case, then shame on Pawtucket! if CF had all the information then i think the city (or an abutter or aggrieved party) should sue CF.

This is yet another reason why abutters should be noticed of pending demo permits. it should be written into all the zoning ordinances and comp plans in the state.

What a travesty. those pictures broke my heart and reminded me of when we tried to save Silver Spring Dyeing--(where Home Depot is now). At the CPC hearing the developer's lawyer said they would absolutely look into saving a few of the exterior walls and slide the home depot right into it. The next day they tore it down. Folks testifying before the CPC should be under oath the way they are at zoning.

[dgreco]

If anything good comes from this, hopefully they restore the building and put it to use.

[brick]

i do not understand why CF would give out a demo permit,

CF's city council was on board with the strip mall plan with no commuter rail and are looking only at short term revenue gain in the form of increased taxation. Hell most of Pawtucket's city council likes Seelbinders craptacular plan (and most liked Walgreen's destroying the Leroy).

I think it's important to understand the demographic here. A lot of the representation is for people that don't see anything long-term and would only see this as the city preserving some crappy old building and keeping them from getting another service. (Granted, a service that they can get 500 feet down the street at Walgreen's). Poor people don't have time for grand visions and thinking about the future. They have to pay for heat and diapers.

Edited December 6, 2006 by brick

[eltron]

For full disclosure, I am on the board of director's of Pawtucket Citizens Development Corporations, which has significant investment in that area and definitely represents the neighborhood.

We had a heated discussion on Monday, and many people in the neighborhood have lived with the shell of the building rotting away in their backyards for 20 years while the city has done next to nothing with the property, and are excited that something, anything will be done to improve on that. The train station would also impact them more directly than anyone else. Seelbinder did outreach to the neighborhood and had a couple of meetings with them, which the city never really did. So people aren't all for saving the building. They don't like the CVS, but they kinda don't care, and to a tiny, little point, I don't blame them.

But for the most part, I adamantly disagreed with this viewpoint, and will continue to advocate for the building until its carted away to the landfill. The City Council has apparantly already decided on the matter (talk about the antithesis of progressive...), and tonight is merely a formality.

A complete and utter clusterf*ck, and its a shame...

[brick]

A complete and utter clusterf*ck, and its a shame...

It is a shame that the city took so long to have any interest, and this is what also sealed the fate of the Leroy. My gut feel is that Pawtucket would be extremely content being Warwick to the north. And in some cases I can't blame them.

It is more of a shame that annoying marketing drones who have never even considered a different paradigm than the suburban box for creating retail are basically driving all of these projects. As I alluded to earlier, even when the Real estate acquisition division of CVS recommends an urban installation, the marketing guys freak out, and the execs listen to the marketing guys. However I'm sure it is all justified in abstract terms like servicing their stockholders.

[eltron]

It is more of a shame that annoying marketing drones who have never even considered a different paradigm than the suburban box for creating retail are basically driving all of these projects. As I alluded to earlier, even when the Real estate acquisition division of CVS recommends an urban installation, the marketing guys freak out, and the execs listen to the marketing guys. However I'm sure it is all justified in abstract terms like servicing their stockholders.

This is a really good point, and I think CVS is more to blame right now than anyone...and to think it is happening right in their backyard...

[runawayjim]

But for the most part, I adamantly disagreed with this viewpoint, and will continue to advocate for the building until its carted away to the landfill. The City Council has apparantly already decided on the matter (talk about the antithesis of progressive...), and tonight is merely a formality.

A complete and utter clusterf*ck, and its a shame...

so does this mean that basically, they said screw it and are allowing for the demolition?

[jencoleslaw]

For full disclosure, I am on the board of director's of Pawtucket Citizens Development Corporations, which has significant investment in that area and definitely represents the neighborhood.

We had a heated discussion on Monday, and many people in the neighborhood have lived with the shell of the building rotting away in their backyards for 20 years while the city has done next to nothing with the property, and are excited that something, anything will be done to improve on that. The train station would also impact them more directly than anyone else. Seelbinder did outreach to the neighborhood and had a couple of meetings with them, which the city never really did. So people aren't all for saving the building. They don't like the CVS, but they kinda don't care, and to a tiny, little point, I don't blame them.

But for the most part, I adamantly disagreed with this viewpoint, and will continue to advocate for the building until its carted away to the landfill. The City Council has apparantly already decided on the matter (talk about the antithesis of progressive...), and tonight is merely a formality.

A complete and utter clusterf*ck, and its a shame...

it certainly is a shame, but i can tell you that living behind a CVS is going to impact them far worse than an historic train station.

When are cities, and residents, for that matter, understand that hitching your economic development wagon to chain store retail exclusively isn't the way to go?

Folks going to the council meeting tonite from out of Pawtucket should be forewarned--no one likes it when carpetbaggers come to town, so be very concise with your arguments to save the building, show how this kind of preservation works in other communities and attracts business. If the topic on the table tonite is simply the Em. Dom then talk only about that, don't bring CVS into it at all, just stick to what you all know is true--the VHB report, the importance of transit, the importance of maintaining historic fabric, how this is a great opportunity for CF and PTCT to work together for the common and greater good. A few heartfelt speeches about how those of us in Providence have been eying pawtucket as a place to settle down, buy a house, move a business, but if this is how things are going to work, we might as well stay in Providence, etc.

Pawtucket peeps should talk about the investment they've made in moving there, and even if this particular building isn't in your back or front yard, the fact is that Pawtucket is ONE city, and what happens across town, affects everyone.

So can someone confirm or deny that Pawtucket has been working on this, the transportation study, the Eminent Domain etc, and that CF knew all about it, and issued a demo permit anyway?

[jencoleslaw]

This is a really good point, and I think CVS is more to blame right now than anyone...and to think it is happening right in their backyard...

Does the developer have signed lease agreements from CVS already? If not, then they really can't be blamed that the developer is doing all this bullsh*t in their name. However, if they are simply sticking their head in the sand on this issue and refuse to deal with it, then i say: flood them with faxes:

401-652-0420

the vp of communications (according to the Chamber of Commerce's big book from 2005, so i am not sure it is still accurate) is Eileen Dunn, and her email is [email protected]

go to it, people.

[eltron]

So can someone confirm or deny that Pawtucket has been working on this, the transportation study, the Eminent Domain etc, and that CF knew all about it, and issued a demo permit anyway?

I can confirm that Pawtucket has been working on all of this, and that CF knew all about it, and issed the demo permit anyway. This is fact. Despite maybe taking too long to do anything (like anytime in the last 5-10 years), the city has been working very hard on the station and the building in the last year, and CF was all very much aware.

I can tell you (and I'll tell the City Council tonight), as someone who has invested a ton of money and time in that town, a mere 3 minute drive or 10 minute walk away from the building, that I am seriously pissed.

[Cotuit]

Despite maybe taking too long to do anything (like anytime in the last 5-10 years), the city has been working very hard on the station and the building in the last year, and CF was all very much aware.

I wouldn't fault either city for not working on this more 5 or 10 years ago. Would anyone have even thought of tearing this down to build something else 5 or 10 years ago? Wouldn't one have been put in a rubber room 5 or 10 years ago for suggesting anyone might ever want to take a train to or from Pawtucket? The renaissance in Pawtucket is so recent, both the thought of having trains there, and the possibility of 'economic development' of the site (even if just for a CVS) pretty much happened simultaneously, didn't they? 5 or 10 years ago people probably thought the only way the station would go away was when it finally turned to dust.

[jencoleslaw]

i know that when i was at CLF from 2000-2004, i looked into working on the train station as a rehab/transit/environmental justice case, and there were already folks working on it (Blackstone Valley Tourism Council perhaps?) But the truth is, unless the city sees it as a priority, it is a sisyphusian task...

[Cotuit]

i know that when i was at CLF from 2000-2004, i looked into working on the train station as a rehab/transit/environmental justice case...

Which proves my point about rubber rooms.

[eltron]

I wouldn't fault either city for not working on this more 5 or 10 years ago. Would anyone have even thought of tearing this down to build something else 5 or 10 years ago? Wouldn't one have been put in a rubber room 5 or 10 years ago for suggesting anyone might ever want to take a train to or from Pawtucket? The renaissance in Pawtucket is so recent, both the thought of having trains there, and the possibility of 'economic development' of the site (even if just for a CVS) pretty much happened simultaneously, didn't they? 5 or 10 years ago people probably thought the only way the station would go away was when it finally turned to dust.

To a point, I think you are right, BUT, the city did have the opportunity to buy the station when the previous owner sold to Seelbinder, and chose not to. It would have been a fairly small amount of cash to control the land, then they could have at least controlled the disposition of the property to someone to do kindof what they wanted with it. I think they dropped the ball, especially when the neighborhood was desperate for help. That said, they really have been working hard recently, and I certainly give them credit for that.

I want to know how this dude from freakin' Memphis got tipped off to this particular property in this particular little town, which just happened to be owned by the family of a city councilor...