Smart Growth Construction |
Heritage PlaceA model mixed-use design project developed by the nonprofit Woonsocket Neighborhood Development Corporation ( WNDC) nears completion
Snapshot:
▪ 43 residential units
▪ Rents $180-$850/month
▪ 11.5k sf ground-floor commercial and neighborhood retail
▪ 3k sf for home-based businesses
▪ 1,500 sf community center
More about Heritage Place
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Grow Smart Board of Directors
Michael F. Ryan
Chairman of the Board
Susan Arnold
William Baldwin
S. James Busam
Joseph Caffey
Robert L. Carothers
Arnold Chace
Jen Cookke
Trudy Coxe
Peter Damon
Stephen J. Farrell
Thomas E. Freeman
J. Joseph Garrahy
John R. Gowell, Jr.
Stephen Hamblett
Robert Harding
Michael S. Hudner
Stanley J. Kanter
Howard M. Kilguss
Thomas A. Lawson
Dennis Langley
James Leach
Roger Mandle
Rev. James C. Miller
Thomas V. Moses
George Nee
B. Michael Rauh, Jr.
Gary Sasse
Richard Schartner
Deming Sherman
Merrill Sherman
Curt Spalding
James F. Twaddell
Ranne Warner
Sandra Whitehouse
Frederick C. Williamson
W. Edward Wood
Board Listing with
Affilliation
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This Month'se-Brief Sponsor The National Brownfield Association is a non-profit educational organization that promotes the responsible redevelopment of brownfields. Our goal is to advance the international brownfield market through education, information, events and the creation of Chapters that allow redevelopment specialists from the public and private sector to exchange information at the local level.
Become an e-Brief Sponsor
Help Grow Smart
Want to join an expanding network of smart growth practioners? Click the map for details
Grow Smart Staff
Scott Wolf Executive Director
Sheila Brush
Director of Programs
John Flaherty
Director of Research & Communications
Lynn Burns
Office Manager / Executive Assistant
Dorothy Dauray
Office Assistant
Linsey Cameron
Research Assistant
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Dear John,
You're among the 2,630 opinion leaders,
state & local officials, development professionals,
journalists and visionary citizens getting the latest
news, happenings and trends in the smart growth
movement from Grow Smart
Rhode Island.
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Flynn to become Rhode Island's top planning official |
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Noreen Shawcross also named to lead new Office
of Housing and Community Development within
Planning Division
Having announced last February that he was
elevating planning to "division" status within state
government, Governor Carcieri recently appointed
Kevin M. Flynn, Cranston's longtime planning
director, to lead the Planning Division.
Flynn, a 25-year veteran planner who has served on
Grow Smart's Advisory Council since its founding in
1998, will be responsible for strengthening the
state's planning and coordinating role on issues
related to housing, land-use, energy and
transportation. The existing Statewide Planning
Program, headed by John O'Brien, is a key part of the
new Planning Division. [Read More]
As part of a larger strategy to better coordinate
planning with programs to address the critical lack
of affordable housing statewide, the Governor also
named Noreen W. Shawcross as chief of the
newly created Office of Housing and Community
Development. Shawcross, most recently Executive
Director of the RI Coalition for the Homeless, will
report to Flynn and oversee everything from efforts
to end homelessness to the Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) program. She will also staff the
state's Housing Resources Commission. [Read More]
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Grow Smart to speak out on more projects |
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Board signals its support to use increased public
commentary as "teachable moments" for smart
growth principles
Although it reaffirmed that most local land use
decisions should be made primarily by citizens
working through their local elected officials and
boards, the Grow Smart Board of Directors recently
amended its guidelines for determining when and how
Grow Smart might take a stand on projects of
statewide or regional significance.
The move reflects the Board's recommendation to
increase the use of public commentary, such as Grow
Smart's recent advocacy regarding the
siting of a new State Police headquarters, as a way
to broaden understanding of the real life applications
of smart growth principles. Still, with limited staff
and financial resources, Grow Smart expects to use
the new guidelines very strategically to identify
selected cases where a proposed project of regional
or statewide significance very clearly exemplifies or
violates smart growth principles.
View the
Guidelines
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Restoring integrity of tax credit program a top priority |
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Program is credited with boosting the economy,
preserving community character and expanding
housing options across all price categories
The rehabilitation of historic buildings that has taken
place throughout Rhode Island since the Historic
Preservation Investment Tax Credit program became
law in 2002 has earned it recognition as one of the
most effective statewide economic development and
neighborhood revitalization tools in decades.
Indeed, the results of a study released by Grow Smart earlier this
year revealed that each $1 of state tax credit
investment leverages $5.47 in total economic output
for Rhode Island. That's why Grow Smart has
strongly defended the tax credit program against
measures that would jeopardize its effectiveness.
While a wholesale reduction in the program was
pre-empted this legislative session, a
retroactive "processing fee" was
imposed as a last minute proposal to plug a $3.5
million state budget deficit. In response, Grow Smart
has convened a group of interested parties to
discuss strategies for averting the unexpected costs
that may jeopardize a number of pending projects,
such as the nonprofit
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Aquidneck Island nets EPA smart growth grant |
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Aquidneck Island is one of only five communities
nationwide selected by the EPA to receive technical
assistance from a team of private sector national
experts in planning for future growth.
The application by the Aquidneck Island
Planning Commission (AIPC)
was selected in a competitive process initiated earlier
this year when the EPA first offered its Smart Growth
implementation assistance program. Grow Smart
promoted the opportunity in its April e-Brief
The technical assistance will help the island
communities align their zoning codes and ordinances
with a recently completed vision for protecting
environmental quality by promoting future growth in
established centers.
Read More
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New help for governors implementing smart growth |
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Former Governors Whitman and Glendenning will
spearhead the Governors’ Institute on Community
Design
Responding to a growing number of requests from
states for assistance in managing growth, three
former governors with a long history of promoting
smarter growth-- Republican Christie Todd-
Whitman
(NJ), Democrat Parris Glendenning (MD) and
Independent Angus King (ME) -- joined the
U.S. EPA and the National Endowment for the Arts in
announcing a new Governors' Institute on Community
Design. The Institute is intended to support
governors' leadership in good community design and
sound planning.
The Institute will hold a series of workshops each
year that will pair governors and their cabinet
secretaries with top planning experts and
practitioners to address specific challenges in
state and regional land use. Christie Whitman, former
EPA administrator and governor of New Jersey, said
the program addresses a key question for
sustainability: "How do we continue to grow in a way
that will allow us to continue to grow?"
More about
the Governors' Institute for Community
Design
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Award nominations sought |
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The Rhode Island Chapter of the American Planning
Association is seeking nominations for its 2005
Awards Program, which recognizes outstanding
planning achievements over the past year in Rhode
Island. Awardees will be honored at APA's New
England Planning Conference, November 9-10, 2005,
in Newport, RI, and again at the Annual Awards
Dinner in early 2006.
The award categories are: "Current Topic: Housing
Choice and Affordability", "Outstanding
Comprehensive Planning Project", "Outstanding Plan
Implementation", "Student Project
Award", "Journalism Award", "Paul Davidoff Award for
Social Commitment to Advocacy
Planning", "Distinguished Leadership Award", and
"President's Distinguished Service Award". The
deadline for submittal is September 15th.
Click here to
access a nomination form
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CALENDAR |
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Sunday, September 11
Hold a gathering in your neighborhood to meet
and welcome new neighbors and rekindle old
friendships
Thursday, September 15
NEGEF is a small grants program designed to
foster New England-based grassroots environmental
initiatives. It provides small grants of up to $2,500
to fuel local activism that results in broader
community involvement in projects that address a
wide range of environmental issues and opportunities.
Wednesday, September 21 or
Thursday, September 22 (5:00p -
8:30p)
Presented by Grow Smart and other partnering
organizations, these workshops are intended to help
municipal officials understand the purpose of housing
trust funds and community housing land trusts.
Registration and supper are complimentary.
Registration is required.
Warwick and Newport
Saturday, September 24
Run, paddle and cycle competition from
Worcester, MA to Pawtucket, RI. A project of the
Blackstone River Valley CorridorKeepers - dedicated
to preserving the heritage and culture of the region.
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Growth and development in the news |
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Eminent Domain
New England
Statewide
Aquidneck Island
Barrington
Burrillville
Chariho
Charlestown
Coventry
Cranston
Cumberland
East Greenwich
Hopkinton
Lincoln
Middletown
Narragansett
Newport
North Kingstown
North Smithfield
Pawtucket
Portsmouth
Providence
Condos on top, music
below is the right mix for Theater Building
Richmond
Scituate
Smithfield
South Kingstown
Tiverton
Warwick
West Warwick
Woonsocket
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