Charged by Governor Carcieri with keeping score on our state's economic performance, the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council has developed a scorecard to measure and track a broad range of metrics while also examining programs and strategies for achieving economic development goals.

While the results of the first scorecard are somewhat mixed, it does indicate that significant progress is being made by agencies realigning themselves to build a more competitive advantage for Rhode Island.

Grow Smart applauds the EPC scorecard for recognizing that:

• Harnessing job growth can be an important catalyst for revitalizing village, town and urban centers.
• The Historic Preservation Investment Tax Credit is one of Rhode Island's most effective tax incentives.
• Economic development advocates must show leadership in rehabbing underutilized buildings to create high quality commercial space within the existing urban fabric of Rhode Island.
• Smart growth planning needs to move off the drawing board and be explicitly incorporated into economic development priority-setting.

Download and print the scorecard (pdf)

A newly formed nonprofit real estate and economic development organization, called PUENTE, is blazing a trail of innovation in community-building by rehabbing an Olneyville mill complex into a creative, attractive and affordable place to live and work.

Partnered with Baltimore-based developer Struever Bros., Eccles & Rouse, Puente will bring to market over 25,000 SF of first floor commercial space and a total of 29 below-market rate lofts where residents can both live and work. The development will open in early 2006. Leasing opportunities are available now.

Read more about Puente

-Horsley, Witten Group

Browse our Smart Growth Yellow Pages for a rundown of listers. The fee for a one-year listing is $175, and the online process can be completed in as little as 3 minutes. Registrants will get an e-invoice or can pay instantly online through Paypal, a secure internet payment service. Click HERE to learn more.

As planning vibrant, livable communities has become more challenging and complex, a variety of free tools are now available to help community activists and public officials better manage the process and increase the likelihood of success.

PlaceMatters.com is a nonprofit that focuses on three areas: Vision-centered, Place-based Planning; Civic Engagement; and Tools for Community Design and Decion-Making. PlaceMatters.com partners include Smart Growth America and The American Planning Association.

CEDS (Community and Environmental Defense Services) is an organization whose mision is to help citizens to constructively defend their community and environment from the impact of sprawl and other poorly planned land development. One of their most helpful free publications is How To Win Land Development Issues.

Grow Smart raised $467,119 in 2004 and used those resources to advance smart growth principles and policies on behalf of all Rhode Islanders and their 39 cities and towns. The commitment of both new and renewing contributors is helping us build momentum to retain what's great about our state while planning for sustainable growth and prosperity.

Our funders include foundations, corporations, government, nonprofits and individuals like you. Thank you funders - YOU make it happen!

We welcome any fundraising suggestions and leads for 2005 and beyond. Our ambitious plans to help Rhode Island reach much more of its potential can only materialize by retaining our fundraising base and expanding our new funding sources. Send me an email

- View our list of 2004 Funders

A product of the statewide Historic Preservation Investment Tax Credit program, the Hotel Providence celebrates its ribbon cutting ceremony this week. Originally built as a hotel in 1882, the structure sat mostly vacant for decades.

The 80-room, multi-million dollar hotel redevelopment is expected to serve as an anchor and catalyst for further redevelopment activity in the architecturally rich Downcity district of Providence.

Read more about it

Strategic planning process aims to prioritize activities that will do the most to ensure strong, vibrant communities

Headed up by a Strategic Planning Committee, Grow Smart is making solid progress to improve its effectiveness in protecting and enhancing Rhode Island's quality of life.

The 4-step process is wrapping up with the drafting of a written strategic plan that will soon be presented to the Grow Smart Board of Directors. Earlier steps included an organizational assessment, a community-wide survey completed by almost 300 e-brief readers, 1-on-1 interviews with community opinion leaders and a strategic planning retreat held in November. Stay tuned for further details.

Thursday, January 13 (5:30p-9p)

Friday, January 14

Tuesday, February 4 (4:30p)

The last month of 2004 set another record for Grow Smart's increasing web visibility. The number of pages viewed, or "page impressions" totaled 6,994 for December 2004, an increase of 447 from the previous month.

"We're pleased that more people are finding our resources for promoting smarter growth in their communities", said Executive Director Scott Wolf. "Overall, we've seen our website visitation more than double from just one year ago. This also bodes well for those who have signed on to our Smart Growth Yellow Pages resource directory."

Bristol

Charlestown

Coventry

Hopkinton

Newport

Pawtucket

Providence

Tiverton

Westerly

West Warwick

Statewide