East Providence Waterfront Commission gives OK to
The $200M project proposes to turn the former brownfield site, a 29-acre waterfront property south of Bourne Avenue, into a mix of uses including townhouses, offices, shops and restaurants with a 150-slip marina. It is estimated that the project will boost local property tax revenue by $3.1M annually.
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Grow Smart Board of
Directors
Deming E. Sherman
Chairman of the Board
Susan Arnold
William Baldwin
Samuel J. Bradner
Kenneth Burnett
Joseph Caffey
Robert L. Carothers
Arnold Chace
Jen Cookke
Trudy Coxe
Dennis DiPrete
Stephen J. Farrell
J. Joseph Garrahy
John R. Gowell, Jr.
Akhil C. Gupta
Michael S. Hudner
Stanley J. Kanter
Howard M. Kilguss
Dennis Langley
James Leach
Roger Mandle
The Rev. James C. Miller
Thomas V. Moses
George Nee
B. Michael Rauh, Jr.
Gary Sasse
Richard Schartner
Pamela M. Sherrill
Curt Spalding
James F. Twaddell
Ranne Warner
Frederick C. Williamson
W. Edward Wood
Board Listing with
Affilliation
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Grow Smart Staff
Scott Wolf Executive Director
Sheila Brush
Director of Programs
John Flaherty
Director of Research & Communications
Leslie Denomme
Executive Assistant for Finance
Dorothy Dauray
Office Assistant
Dee Dee Lozano
Training Coordinator
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Dear John,
You're among the 3,160 civic 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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Historic Tax Credit program once again at risk |
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Grow Smart, concerned most about the impact of a
possible cap, remains committed to working with
coalition partners and state leaders to ensure
continued revitalization of our urban, town and village
centers
For the third straight year, Grow Smart Rhode Island
will make its case for maintaining a strong historic tax
credit program, which is again facing some possible
changes that could undermine its many benefits. The
program, enacted in 2002, has been an economic
development tool that is widely credited for jump-
starting a rebuilding boom, revitalizing urban, town
and village centers, recycling abandoned and
contaminated sites, enhancing public safety and
creating new jobs, tax revenue and economic vitality in
communities from Woonsocket to Westerly.
Because state government is facing a large projected
deficit and does not measure any of the tax credit’s
financial benefits, Grow Smart is concerned that state
leaders could inadvertently adopt program cuts that
would undermine the revitalization momentum
stimulated by the historic tax credit.
Several ideas have surfaced so far for changes to the
program and are being examined more thoroughly.
Among them are ... [MORE]
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Land-Use 2025 may influence final Quonset Gateway design |
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Last Monday, February 12, was the deadline for the
Rhode Island State Planning Council’s (SPC) review
of the proposed site plan for the Quonset Gateway
Project. The SPC is mandated by law to
determine whether the project conforms with the State
Guide Plan, of which Land-Use 2025 is a key
element. If the Council determines that the site
plan does not conform, then the project cannot go
forward without changes being made.
In light of a draft conformance report prepared by SPC
staff that identified a number of inconsistencies
with the “fundamental concepts, goals, policies and
objectives of the State Guide Plan,” the Council on
February 8th voted to accept the Quonset
Development Corporation (QDC) and New Boston
Development Partners' request to extend the
determination deadline to March 8th. The extension
allows time for the SPC, the Town of North Kingstown,
QDC and the New Boston Development Partners to
discuss revisions that could address concerns raised
not only by the staff report but also by the Town of
North Kingstown. [More]
The SPC is expected to hold a special meeting on
March 1, 2007 to review the proposed site
plan.
Read Grow
Smart's January 26th analysis and
position
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Smart Growth a major topic at several upcoming statewide conferences |
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Following adoption of RI's new land-use plan last
April, many of its smart growth principles and
strategies are up for discussion at conferences about
water supply management, conservation, historic
preservation and affordable housing.
Water for
Rhode
Island: Today &
Tomorrow
Thursday, March 1, 2007 5:00 p.m. to 9:00
p.m.
Economic development, residential growth, healthy
streams and rivers: how will Rhode Island manage its
limited water supply to meet our future needs? Join
fellow state and municipal officials, legislators,
business leaders, water suppliers and concerned
citizens at a statewide conference to frame the issues,
stimulate ideas for action, and move toward
solutions.
Save the Bay Center, Providence [
More]
4th Annual Land &
Water Conservation Summit
Saturday, March 24, 2007, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00
p.m.
This summit is the conference for: land trusts,
watershed councils and conservation commissions.
Among the workshops being offered
are “Implementing RI's State Land-Use Plan: Your
Organizations’ Role”, "Sustainable
Development" and "GIS Mapping for
Conservation Development "
The 22nd Annual
RI Statewide Historic Preservation
Conference
Saturday, April 14, 2007
This conference will demonstrate that preserving old
buildings, historic downtowns, and traditional land
use patterns ensures a level of land, energy, and
materials consumption that is sustainable for the
future. Learn how revitalizing existing transportation
routes, commercial districts, and brownfields lessens
our footprint on open space and greenfields.
Building a Better
Rhode Island 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
Join Rhode Island Housing for a partnership
conference designed to foster collaboration in
creating affordable homes in Rhode Island. Learn
more about emerging practices and products that
create new opportunities to provide safe, affordable
homes for Rhode Islanders while enhancing our
communities.
Crowne Plaza, Warwick [
More]
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New project database from CNU |
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Looking for ideas on how other communities
are successfully promoting walkable,
neighborhood-based development? The Congress for
the New Urbanism (CNU) offers a Project Database
that features dozens of new urbanist developments
from throughout the United States and other countries.
Review CNU's take on how Providence's
Downtown city-scale plan encompasses an area
nearly four miles long and one mile wide, and seeks
to expand the downtown’s position in the region by
increasing its development capacity for urbane living
and working. Also, read how Crozet, Virginia's Master
Plan uses a specific ''neighborhood model'' to further
develop an agrarian community while preserving the
historic character and natural landscape that was
important to local residents.
Browse the
CNU Project Database
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White House budget seen as undermining local efforts to manage growth, transportation |
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According to the national policy advocacy group Smart
Growth America (SGA),
President Bush’s proposed FY 2008
budget cuts key programs that localities rely upon to
handle growth, stimulate economic revitalization,
provide transportation and housing choices, and
protect natural areas. It especially shortchanges
metropolitan areas, where most Americans live,
though rural lands and areas in need of conservation
fare only slightly better in SGA's view.
“The President’s budget will undermine local efforts to
restore prosperity, manage traffic, and protect the
environment in all corners of the nation,” said SGA
executive director Don Chen. “Though the
administration has made the rhetorical case for smart
growth, this budget fails to provide the leadership and
choices our communities need.”
Scott Wolf, Grow Smart Rhode Island's
Executive Director, is a member of SGA's 16 person
Board. [More]
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LEED for neighborhoods makes debut |
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The release of the LEED-Neighborhood
Development (LEED/ND) pilot rating system this
month represents a major national effort to bring
together the principles of smart growth, community
design and green building. A joint effort of the U.S.
Green Building Council, The Natural Resources
Defense Council and the Congress for New
Urbanism, LEED-ND seeks to promote development
that can bring more neighborhood conveniences,
greater walkability, safer streets, less traffic and
pollution, and renewed cohesiveness and vitality to
communities. The LEED-ND initiative, which has been
under design for the past 4 years, assumes that the
most powerful strategy for achieving environmental
sustainability is incorporating high-performance
buildings in compact, mixed-use neighborhoods that
reduce driving by making walking and transit attractive
options for commuting and other trips.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is soliciting
projects to be part of the pilot program for its
LEED/ ND Rating System. LEED
stands for Leadership in
Energy
and Environmental
Design. Up to 120 pilot projects will
be selected to participate in the pilot program.
Projects in all stages of development -- from pre-
entitlement planning to complete construction -- will
be accepted into the pilot program.
The deadline for applying to be a LEED/ND
pilot participant is April 6, 2007, at 5:00 p.m.
Pacific time. Financial assistance to cover portions of
pilot fees for certain projects may be available. [More]
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Smart Growth technical assistance |
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Is your community looking to use smart growth to
reach economic development goals? Do you need
help ensuring that school investments help your
community meet multiple goals? Do you need to
retrofit a commercial corridor?
The U.S. EPA is accepting applications for the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance
program. Through this program, a team of
multidisciplinary experts will provide free technical
assistance to communities, regions, or states that
want to develop in ways that meet environmental and
other local or regional goals.
Selected communities will receive assistance in the
form of a multi-day visit from a team of experts
organized by EPA and other national partners to work
with local leaders. Applications will be accepted until
March 8, 2007.
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CALENDAR Highlights |
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Click here to let us know if you would like your
land-use/water resources related conference or
workshop listed on our CommunityConnectionRI
Calendar.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
(4:30 - 8:30p)
Sponsored by DEM, Grow
Smart RI and the Narragansett Bay Research
Reserve. Continuing education credits available.
DEM, Room 300
Providence
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
(8:45a - 3:00p)
Sponsored by the URI
Cooperative Extension in cooperation with the RI
Division of Agriculture and Marketing.
Bryant University
Smithfield
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 (9:00a - 3:00p)
Sponsored by the URI
Cooperative Extension in cooperation with the RI
Division of Agriculture and Marketing.
South Kingstown Land Trust Field Office
South Kingstown
Friday, March 30, 2007
CNU/New England Annual Conference
. A day of educational sessions with national
experts in the field, interactive seminars and
networking. Lowell, MA
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Entry
Deadline for the 6th Annual National Awards
for Smart Growth Achievement sponsored by the
U.S. EPA.
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Revitalizing America's Mills |
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Creative communities throughout the United States
have developed innovative approaches to revitalizing
abandoned and potentially contaminated mills.
Revitalizing America's Mills: A Report on Brownfields
Mill Projects is a 32-page booklet published by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that
relates case histories chronicling some of the
challenges faced and solutions found during the EPA-
supported revitalization of more than 350 mill sites (so
far) throughout the nation.
The new booklet's contents include a brief history of
mills in the United States, followed by redevelopment
case studies and a comprehensive list of federal,
state and other resources.
Download the 32-page pdf
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'Growth & Development' in the news |
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us Your News
We want to know what's happening in your
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