Planning & Development
Moving Ahead With the Cranston Commuter Rail Station
The Cranston Commuter Rail Station project still has a pulse.
The area bounded by Elmwood Avenue, Park Avenue and Wellington has been eyed for conversion into a transit-oriented district. Although a commuter rail station is the most exciting component of the proposal, transit-oriented districts include a mix of residential and commercial developments that revolve around the easy access to public transportation.
The commuter rail station proposed for the district will likely remain small in comparison to the stations in Warwick and Providence, but the site is ideally located to incorporate some other form of public transportation, such as brt (Bus Rapid Transit) or light rail. A well designed, transit-oriented district can be an economic boon for a city. It also reduces sprawl and protects existing neighborhoods by concentrating stores and homes in a tight area, it can improve the character of a city by encouraging more pedestrians and reducing traffic, and ultimately help reduce sprawl.
An article in the Journal summarizes the status of the project.
As this project moves forward, I hope for three things: 1) That Mayor Fung and City Planning Director, Peter Lapolla, can keep the momentum of this project going. 2) That the project is planned in such a way that doesn’t sell the site’s potential short. ie: plans for the future. 3) And that the process remains as transparent and as democratic as possible, open to all business interests, and that it doesn’t become a pet project of any one well-connected party.
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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
Josh,
There was also an Op-ed piece in the Herald 2 weeks ago by Ken Filarski regarding the project.
— Rachel McNally · Feb 16, 08:06 PM · #
They are building something just past St. Matthew’s – where the old Wonderbread Thrift store was torn down recently.
At first I thought this could be the beginning of the rail project, or maybe a restaurant.
I tried to use my detective skills and think that maybe – sob – it’s going to be a self-storage building.
Looking for info to find out if I’m right or wrong, and how I hope I’m wrong!
— Anne · May 8, 11:22 AM · #
Hi Anne – I probably did the same thing you did… searched the Cranston City Hall web site for some clues about the new structure.
Sadly – I think you’re correct. It appears to be a three story self-storage building. It looks like they asked for a variance in order to get they height they needed.
If it’s true, then I have to say that it’s a very disappointing move by the city – and certainly not “transit-oriented.” I’m hoping that the structure was permitted because the TOD is actually going to set up further south in the Wellington industrial area.
— Josh · May 8, 02:21 PM · #