Last week’s 4-day Providence Waterfront Charrette proved to be an excellent forum for educating city officials and the public about the value of working waterfronts and how to best protect these resources through appropriate zoning. Highlights from the charrette:
- Near unanimous opposition from invited experts and neighborhood organizations to allowing residential condominiums along the waterfront. This sentiment was perfectly captured by the Providence Journal headline, “Housing on city waterfront rejected at charrette.”
- An economic impact study conducted by FXM Associates found that just 7 water-dependent and industrial businesses operating in the Allens Ave. area are responsible for $294,000,000 in annual business sales and employ 372 workers with average salary and health benefits of roughly $60,000 per year.
- Planners from Baltimore, Boston, and Portland all explained that “mixed use” does not mean placing condos and hotels right next to water-dependent industrial users. Instead, each of these ports has created extensive areas devoted exclusively to marine industrial uses. These areas are then buffered from more mixed use neighborhoods where residential, commercial office, and retail are encouraged. The best example of this is Baltimore where their inner-harbor is mixed use, but their 1,000+ acre outer harbor area is reserved exclusively for marine industrial uses.
- The city’s own economic consultant projected that expanding marine industrial uses along Allens Ave could result in 300-400 new high wage port-related jobs. On the other hand, the area could accommodate at most 200 condo units, priced from $300,000-$500,000, and these would produce minimal new jobs. If as stated the city’s #1 criteria for deciding the future of the area is jobs, then retaining industrial zoning and expanding marine industrial uses clearly makes the most sense.
- Widespread support for the creation of a Rhode Island Port Authority or similar entity to protect and promote Rhode Island’s ports. This entity could also help develop policies (like a gross tonnage tax) to help compensate host communities for housing port infrastructure that benefits the entire region.
- Near unanimous support for developing the former Shooters property along the India Point waterfront as a public recreation destination, not a residential condo tower.
Media Coverage
- 06-14-08 “We need these $60K jobs,” Editorial, Providence Journal
- 06-13-08 “Housing on city waterfront rejected at charette,” Providence Journal
- 06-11-08 “Cape Verdeans enter fray over waterfront plan,” Providence Journal
- 06-10-08 “Public gets say on waterfront,” Providence Business News
- 06-10-08 “4 scenarios laid out for future of city waterfront,” Providence Journal
- 06-10-08 “Will neighbors object?” Providence Journal
- 06-09-08 “7 waterfront firms pay $5M in R.I., city taxes,” Providence Business News
- 06-09-08 “Vying waterfront interests to share 4-day symposium,” Providence Journal
Local Blog Coverage
- 06-16-08 “YES to a Providence Working Waterfront,” Rhode Island’s Future
- 06-14-08 “What’s better: good jobs or more condos?,” Not for Nothing
- 06-13-08 “Waterfront charrette winds down,” Providence Daily Dose
Charrette Photos
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend to support Providence’s working waterfront!
