Latest news with #Cranston-based
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
On old Providence police station site, dream of 300-foot tower meets reality of parking lot
PROVIDENCE - Sobering up in a cell waiting for bail, occupants of the city's old downtown police station 30 years ago probably would not have guessed that the land beneath their feet would one day be considered too valuable to build even luxury apartments on. But Cranston-based Procaccianti Companies says the site, now a parking lot at the corner of Broadway and Empire Street, is the perfect place for a 28-story, 300-foot-high office tower and corporate headquarters that would function as a "gateway" to downtown Providence. To do anything less with the property would be a travesty, they told city officials April 15. The only problem for Procaccianti and the city is that there is no corporate giant interested in building its own skyscraper in Providence, and there wasn't even before the pandemic shift to remote work decimated the office real estate market. And so, year after year, this crown jewel of Providence real estate remains a not-always-full surface parking lot even though such lots are forbidden downtown under city zoning. Since Procaccianti Companies demolished the former LaSalle Square police station building in 2007, the developer has received a string of variances under three different mayors to charge for parking there. The last of those variances expired at the end of last year and on April 15 Procaccianti made its case to the City Plan Commission for another five years of use as a parking lot. "We were attracted to [the property] because it is on very high elevation with commanding views of city. ... It begs for a signature office building," Michael Voccola, vice president at Procaccianti, told the City Plan Commission. "To do something other than a signature building on it would be, pardon the expression, a bastardization of the quality of that site." Is there a company willing to pay for a signature office building in Providence? "Not anytime soon apparently," Voccola said. "We made a play for Roger Williams University and several for Hasbro." In January 2019, at a meeting about the parking lot not dissimilar to the one this year, Procaccianti representatives said they were "in the chute" to land an unnamed Rhode Island company fitting the description of Hasbro. Since 2019, Hasbro has closed its offices on the other side of LaSalle Square and explored abandoning its Pawtucket headquarters for Boston. State officials looking to keep the toymaker in Rhode Island have focused their pitches to the company on a new office building on the state-owned former I-195 land, not the former police station lot. Commission members appeared flummoxed about how to reconcile Procaccianti's promise to redevelop with its request to maintain the parking lot. The City Council is no longer extending variances for downtown surface parking lots and there are two other downtown lots in the same situation as the police station site, said Bob Azar, the city deputy planning director. Shutting down the parking lot would not force the property owner to develop the land, but allowing Procaccianti to make some money off parking would only reduce the pressure on the company to do something. "If you can develop this lot, you should develop it," Azar said. "There is no market for office. Can you build anything?" Voccola: "Could we put residential there? Yes. In order to make a building vertical, residential rents would have to be significantly higher. You couldn't do affordable housing because of the costs." The City Plan Commission debated ways to incentivize Procaccianti to do something on the lot and settled on recommending the five-year parking extension but to "strongly encourage" the owner to submit a pre-application for development within three years. Since Procaccianti is asking for an ordinance change, it will need City Council approval. Of course, submitting a rendering in three years doesn't mean anything will be built. "The fact remains the costs are high, and while rents are also high, the rents have to justify the costs," Azar said. "We have seen very little new residential construction downtown and what has been built has been built with considerable subsidy." Procaccianti bought the old police station in a deal that also included the Brutalist-style Fogarty Building, which housed welfare services, which has since been demolished and turned into the Sabin Street Residence Inn. "We are in a position of wanting to preserve that site for the one time someone comes into Providence and says, 'you have the signature site that fits all those qualities,'" Voccola said. "Believe me when I tell you, this is the world's most expensive parking lot." This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: The Providence parking lot where a 300-foot corporate HQ was supposed to be
Boston Globe
18-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- Boston Globe
Rhode Island designer creates dining room that can go from fun to formal
Advertisement 2 The American black walnut farm table by Cranston-based Kingston Krafts is as functional for craft projects and puzzles as it is for sharing meals. 'I have a small business too, so I like to support local,' the designer says. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 3 'The fun of a long table is setting it with collected pieces,' Smith says. The tablescape mixes old and new, including iconic Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage plates, bamboo cutlery, block printed napkins, various candlestick holder styles, and a vintage ceramic pitcher as a vase. 4 Smith added a chandelier from Hudson Valley Lighting overhead, a challenge given the low ceiling height and exposed beams that offer little leeway for hiding wires. The traditional brass piece is slender and compact but still has presence. Advertisement 5 The Sister Parish linen drapery fabric, a handprinted floral modeled on a vintage English textile, mimics the colors outdoors. 6 The Enchanted Home wicker urn from Smith's seasonal shop, Highpoint Home, in Watch Hill, fills an empty corner with live greenery. The piece plays off the scalloped wicker valances from Mainly Baskets Home inherited from the prior owners. Marni Elyse Katz is a contributing editor to the Globe Magazine. Follow her on Instagram
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Once-promising RI jewelry company now owes millions
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Alex and Ani was founded by Cranston-based designer Carolyn Rafaelian back in 2004. But today, the jewelry company is a shell of its former self: it's mostly controlled by out-of-state private equity firms and owes millions to small businesses, landlords, and the town of East Greenwich. The Boston Globe RI's Alexa Gagosz joined 12 News at 4 to talk about the latest lawsuit against Alex and Ani, brought by a designer who says the bangle company owes her more than $6 million. Watch the full interview in the player above. Read the full story in The Boston Globe Rhode Island: Alex and Ani sued by Pamela Love, a L.A.-based jewelry designer, for millions in unpaid bills » MORE: Globe RI & 12 News Stories Globe RI on » Globe RI & 12 News Partnership: WPRI 12 partners with The Boston Globe Rhode Island to deliver unmatched local news coverage MORE: Globe RI & 12 News Stories Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
