Planning & Development
Fixing Rolfe Square: Intro
This corner marks the center of the city of Cranston. It’s at the heart of Rolfe Square, one of Cranston’s business districts, a weiner’s throw from Cranston City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce. It should welcome you to the city. It should say “Hey, I’m Cranston, Rhode Island. You’ve arrived.” Well, maybe it does say that, but just not in a way the city might hope.
Right now that corner is just a parking lot, barely big enough for 6 cars, and a series of billboards that dominate the views to the south and east. Telephone poles and wires add to the clutter. 
The radius of the curbs are cut to maximize the speed at which cars can navigate the intersection. It’s pretty clear that this space is just for automobiles, and it really deserves better. There are some great businesses in the Square that justify giving this corner some attention. The European Food Market, The Jerusalem Deli, Chinese-American Mini Market, Durfee Hardware, to name a few. Not to mention the residents of Auburn and Eden Park.
Districts like this around the city need to be scrutinized for their failings as places for pedestrians and bikers. An effort should be made to think creatively to liven up the city’s streets, to encourage nearby residents to explore and use public spaces and to shop locally. The more pedestrians frequent their local business districts, the more money will funnel back into the local economy.
To be continued.
[where: Cranston, RI 02910]
[where: 02910]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
Don’t forget King’s Garden. The square definitely has a lot to offer (check it out on a typical Saturday morning if you don’t think so) and some accessibility improvements and beautification would make it even more attractive. Do you think the Park Theater renovation, when (if?) it completes, will help the square become a more appealing destination?
— dhodge · Apr 30, 07:45 AM · #
King’s Garden, Ruths, the candy store… lots of good places. It’s true, the place is hopping on Saturday mornings. It’d be nice to be able to extend the crowds through the whole week. And I think the corner pictured at the top is perfect for an “anchor” of some sort. Retail spots on the first floor and office space upstairs.
I think the Park Cinema (if/when it’s done) can only add to the Square. And I think the Artists’ Exchange is an overlooked gem. Not many folks seem to know that it’s there.
— Josh · Apr 30, 05:43 PM · #