Public Criticize Revised 195 Apartment Proposals
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Designers competing to be selected for the building of a new mixed-use project at parcel 2 in the 195 District — specifically, the space across from the Michael Van Leesten Bridge between South Water and South Main Streets — presented changes to their proposals on Wednesday.
The updated renderings ranged from small tweaks to significant designs modifications, but the public's response was fairly consistent.
Those who spoke after the presentations were nearly unanimous in the same refrain — that these three project designs are simply too big and block much of College Hill from the river and the Michael Van Leesten bridge.
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Leslie Gardner, the former chair of the Capital Center Commission, called the proposals "oversized" and strongly urged the commission to limit the height of the project to four stories. She also suggested that the Commission should consider scrapping the existing proposals and issuing a new request for proposals.
The initial designs were presented in October 2021 and were panned by GoLocal’s architectural critic Will Morgan.
In an October 16 column, Morgan wrote, “The agita over trying to build on Parcel 2 along the east bank of the Providence River should tell us that it is time for a reset on the entire 195 development. Perhaps it is even time to remove most of the I-195 Commissioners and appoint members who would have the courage to follow the original remit of creating a true Providence Innovation & Design District, with incubators, start-ups, researchers, engineers, and designers.”
Wednesday’s meeting of the 195 Commission was an opportunity for the three developers to respond to neighborhood criticism and comments from the commission.
“These projects are still too large. The walls are too high,” said Councilman John Goncalves who represents Ward 1 and the neighborhood of Fox Point.
Bella Noka of the Narragansett Tribe said, “There was no mention of working with the Narragansett Indian Tribe.”
She critiqued the three development groups for their lack of understanding and awareness of Providence and the community, specifically citing that the developers did not mention the need to be respectful of the Narragansett's burial groups.
Noka chided the developers for failing to refer to the pedestrian bridge by its appropriate name — the Michael Van Leesten Bridge. She also raised concerns about the continued gentrification of the Fox Point neighborhood.
Sharon Steele, President of the Jewelry District Association, not only voiced opposition to the proposals' scale, she cited a letter issued by Ted Sanderson, the then-Executive Director of the Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission, issued in 2017, which sent to the 195 Commission regarding parcel 2. It stated:
Previous suggestions for this parcel have been three stories and 50 feet [in height], while the current guidelines specify 50 feet and not to exceed four stories. 50 feet should be the maximum, not increasing to contain four stories. This is compatible with the surrounding historic area. Additional bonus height should not be allowed. A monolithic building should not occupy this parcel; townhouse or rowhouse development would be appropriate. Parking should be concealed.
While the three developers made changes - one proposed removing the sixth story in their proposal -- each of the three proposals significantly exceed the three-story and 50-foot standard.
One member of the public did voice support for a taller structure. Christan Roselund voiced support for six stories and said he wanted more units for the project.