Planning & Development
The Wrong Foot for Cranston's Transit Oriented District
As the steel rises on a former Hostess Bakery site, our curiosity rises as well. Because this new project falls within the boundaries of the area targeted for a Transit-Oriented District, I’ve gotten some emails asking whether this project is the first phase of a commuter rail station. One commenter did some sleuthing and discovered that the new structure is just a self-storage facility. Jason Pezzullo, Principal Planner for the city, has confirmed our fears. The new structure at 604 Park Avenue is a three story self-storage facility.
Self-storage is an incompatible use in Transit-Oriented Districts. In fact, Massachusetts puts self-storage in its list of TOD prohibited uses as suggested in its TOD toolkit, along with auto sales, gasoline sales, golf courses, cemeteries, and warehouses among other things.
While Pezzullo didn’t sound pleased about location of the self-storage facility, he noted that the approval of the plan was given during a time when the land in question was slated for industrial use under the comprehensive plan.
Here’s an excerpt from the minutes of the Planning Commission Meeting minutes of May 6, 2008: 
Comment
Wednesday May 12, 2010
Thee Euston-Fairweather Registry of Hyper Links: Trashing the New Comp Plan Edition
This edition of the Registry offers a short collection of projects from Cranston’s ugly development front. All of these developments required numerous zoning variances and comp plan amendments, all of them are out of character with their respective locales, and all of them will benefit their developers at the expense of Cranston’s residents, its character, environmental well-being, and fiscal health.
moreMonday May 3, 2010
Losing the War on Drugstores
After about a 15 month flatline, it looks like the Cranston Recklessly Approved Project index (the city’s leading economic indicator), is on the rise again. We can all rejoice that developers are back at work – looking for ways to get variances and cut corners on the road to grabbing... more
Monday January 11, 2010
Skip the Bag, Save the River
On Tuesday, January 12 at 7pm, the City Planning Commission will consider the Stop & Shop proposal slated for the Warwick Nurseries property. One of the concessions that the neighborhood was looking for was a moratorium on plastic bags. It’s a great idea, and I have to admit I’m anti-disposable... more
Monday November 23, 2009
Fixing Rolfe Square: Pimp Your Storefront Edition
Ruth’s Lingerie storefront during a sale last year Things are starting to look up for Rolfe Square. Soon they will be looking fabulous. The Artists’ Exchange has teamed up with students from Rhode Island School of Design to redesign six storefronts. Artists’ Exchange Director Elaine McKenna-Yeaw says “the idea is to... more
Saturday October 24, 2009
The Park Cinema Reopens for a Sequel
At 5 PM last night, the Park Cinema officially re-opened as the Rhode Island Center for Performing Arts. Rolfe Square took on a completely different feeling when the theater was illuminated and pods of people spilled out onto the neighboring streets. It was especially striking to see the Park sign... more