Rhode Island
R.I. developer proposes 30-story apartment building next to Amica Mutual Pavilion – The Boston Globe
![R.I. developer proposes 30-story apartment building next to Amica Mutual Pavilion – The Boston Globe R.I. developer proposes 30-story apartment building next to Amica Mutual Pavilion – The Boston Globe](https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/kcC-eT6n260YeBE184yPXeHJXxw=/506x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/YXV3NSTZGNCFXGATJXK4TZFLF4.png)
PROVIDENCE — A local real estate firm is proposing a 30-story apartment tower next to the Hilton hotel on Atwells Avenue — a project that has been nearly two decades in the making.
PRI I LP, a firm that also owns the Hilton hotel, submitted preliminary plans to the city to demolish the hotel’s parking garage and a one-story function room attached to the building in order to construct a residential building with 216 units with an eight-story podium parking deck with 248 spaces.
The hotel building at 21 Atwells Ave., which was formerly the Holiday Inn, is not part of the new construction, according to the plans. First constructed in 1966, the former Holiday Inn was the first new hotel in Providence since the Biltmore (now known as the Graduate Providence Hotel) was built in 1922.
According to PRI I’s plans, the apartments would consist of a mix of 18 studio, 108 one-bedroom units, 82 two-bedroom units, and eight three-bedroom units, according to plans unveiled during a Downtown Design Review Committee meeting on Monday night. The committee approved the preliminary plan stage of review for new construction; final plans will need to be submitted to the city for review and approval.
PRI I is a subsidiary of The Procaccianti Group, a Cranston-based real estate investment and management company. The company has been involved in the development of several key properties around the state, including the new Neon Marketplaces and the Renaissance Providence Hotel. In the plans, PRI I has dubbed the proposed building as the “TPG Tower.”
If PRI I’s plans become reality, the tower would stand more than 300 feet above Atwells Avenue, and 326 feet above the dead-end street that connects the hotel with the Amica Mutual Pavilion. It would also become a prominent piece of Providence’s skyline along Interstate 95.
This isn’t the first time Procaccianti has proposed a residential tower at the site.
Around 2005, Procaccianti had proposed “The Power Block,” a nearly $1 billion real estate investment that reached from the former Westin Hotel (now the Omni Providence Hotel), past the Rhode Island Convention Center and the AMP, and up to what is now the Hilton hotel. At the time, Procaccianti executives said the “power block” would connect a corridor of shops, restaurants, hotels, and event spaces in order to attract large conventions to Providence.
Of that hefty proposal, $150 million would go to renovating the Holiday Inn to become a Hilton, add a nationally-known steak restaurant and coffee shop, and to construct a 27-story tower with 150 condominiums. Procaccianti did renovate the hotel around 2006 and added a Starbucks store on the ground floor. The Vig, a sports bar, currently serves burgers and wings in the hotel’s lobby. But the residential tower was never constructed.
![The current project site for the proposed residential tower at 21 Atwells Ave. in Providence, R.I.](https://bostonglobe-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/mc1Ft1j5dK0M-5zYmJHRiIkQ54k=/960x0/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/BE222IHBYFB6LCYMIREK6SQIRI.png)
Both of the existing structures that would be demolished were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s and do not have any historical significance. The company also deemed that rehabilitation or adaption of the structures was “infeasible.”
“Given the housing shortage in the Providence area, the residential component was more viable than commercial, retail, or other types of uses,” wrote Ron M. Hadar, Procaccianti’s general counsel, in the plans filed to the city.
It’s not yet clear when the company plans to begin the demolition. Ralph Izzi, Procaccianti’s vice president of public affairs, said the firm is still in its pre-development phase. In an email to the Globe on Monday night, he declined to say what the project will cost.
“Safe to say this will be one of the most substantial developments in the last 50 years in downtown Providence since we built the 32-story residential (The Residences Providence) tower in 2007, which — at the time — was the tallest high rise built in the prior 34 years,” said Izzi.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.
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Rhode Island
EG's RIM Best of Rhode Island Winners
![EG's RIM Best of Rhode Island Winners EG's RIM Best of Rhode Island Winners](https://eastgreenwichnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/The-EG-News-team-e1722027431778.jpeg)
Rhode Island
How to watch/stream: Rhode Island at the Little League Softball regional championship
![How to watch/stream: Rhode Island at the Little League Softball regional championship How to watch/stream: Rhode Island at the Little League Softball regional championship](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/authoring/authoring-images/2024/07/25/NPRJ/74545332007-dsc-01738-gigapixelstandardscale-2-00-x.jpeg?auto=webp&crop=9278,5220,x0,y722&format=pjpg&width=1200)
Cranston Western Little League Softball is on the doorstep of reaching the national tournament.
The Rhode Island state champions reached the New England regional finals with a 6-5 comeback win vs. Massachusetts on Wednesday. And now the Ocean State team plays in the winner-take-all championship in Bristol, Connecticut at noon.
If you can’t make the drive to see Rhode Island’s best, you can still watch from afar.
Stream links and television information for the championship vs. Connecticut is below.
How they got there: RI is off to the Little League Softball regional title game
How to watch the New England Little League Softball championship
Date: Friday, July 26
Time: Noon
Location: A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Leadership Training Center in Bristol, Connecticut
Stream: ESPN
Previous matchup: Rhode Island topped Connecticut, 13-3, in the opening game of the New England tournament. The Ocean State tacked on eight runs in the bottom of the fourth that broke open a 5-3 game. RI piled up eight hits and 11 RBIs in the big win.
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
Rhode Island
NOAA, Biden-Harris Administration announce nearly $2 million for Rhode Island project as part of Investing in America Agenda
![NOAA, Biden-Harris Administration announce nearly million for Rhode Island project as part of Investing in America Agenda NOAA, Biden-Harris Administration announce nearly million for Rhode Island project as part of Investing in America Agenda](https://www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_width_1275/public/2023-03/PHOTO-Climate-Collage-HEXAGON-Design-BIL-With-NEW-Logo-2022_0.jpg)
Today, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced that the Department of Commerce and NOAA have recommended nearly $2 million for a project in Rhode Island to make the state’s coast more resilient to climate change and other coastal hazards. The awards are being made under the Biden Administration’s Climate Resilience Regional Challenge, a competitive, $575 million program funded through the nearly $6 billion total investment under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act.
“As part of President Biden’s commitment to combating the climate crisis, we are investing $575 million to help make sure America’s coastal communities are more resilient to the effects of climate change,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “As part of this historic investment in our nation’s climate resilience the Biden-Harris Administration is investing $2 million to help underserved communities in Rhode Island develop and implement new strategies to protect themselves from increased flooding, storm surge, and extreme weather events.”
Administered by the Department of Commerce and NOAA, the Climate-Ready Coasts initiative is focused on investing in high-impact projects that create climate solutions by storing carbon; building resilience to coastal hazards such as extreme weather events, pollution and marine debris; restoring coastal habitats that help wildlife and humans thrive; building the capacity of underserved communities and support community-driven restoration; and providing employment opportunities.
“This historic funding is vital for helping Rhode Island communities confront the unique coastal challenges posed by a changing climate,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “The recommended project will empower Rhode Islanders to better prepare for climate change, fostering a more resilient, equitable future for these coastal communities.”
The recommended project in Rhode Island includes $1,999,777 for work with the Aquidneck Land Trust in partnership with the municipalities of Newport, Middletown, Portsmouth and Naval Station Newport. The project, Growing Regional Resilience Coordination on Aquidneck Island, capitalizes on the momentum of resilience initiatives already underway on the island. Committed to conserving the island’s open spaces and building on prior successful projects (including the conservation of over 2,800 acres), the land trust will use this opportunity to grow their island-wide approach to resilience, offering technical assistance, capacity building, and actionable strategies for responding to climate change. Implemented projects will include nature-based solutions to address threats from flooding, increasing storms, extreme temperatures, drought, sea level rise and water pollution.
“Coastal communities are on the front lines of climate change and face unique climate challenges – from flooding to water pollution to sea level rise. This federal funding will help the Aquidneck Land Trust and its partners work collaboratively to strengthen their collective resiliency to the impacts of climate change. I applaud their cooperative approach to mitigating the impacts of climate change for future generations and look forward to seeing the results of their work in these Rhode Island communities,” said Senator Jack Reed.
“Thanks to our Inflation Reduction Act, we’re accelerating climate resiliency across the Ocean State,” said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who helped shape major climate provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act. “This federal funding will provide a big boost to resiliency and conservation projects on Aquidneck Island and help strengthen our defenses against climate change.”
“As the Ocean State, coastal management is essential to protecting our communities and our way of life from the existential threat of climate change,” said Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01). “That is why I am proud to have joined my colleagues in supporting the Aquidneck Land Trust in their quest to receive more than $2 million in federal funding. This federal investment will help expand their island-wide approach to resilience and leverage nature-based solutions to fight the climate crisis.”
Additional information is available on the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge website.
Climate, weather, and water affect all life on our ocean planet. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict our changing environment, from the deep sea to outer space, and to manage and conserve America’s coastal and marine resources.
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