The economic problems facing Rhode Island are no secret, but state leaders see a ray of hope in Providence's Knowledge District. Last year, state legislators formed the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission to organize 20 acres made available by the re-routing of Interstate 195. The group received its first major loan of $250,000 last month from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation to create infrastructure plans for the new land.
The land is a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" for statewide economic growth, said Gov. Lincoln Chafee '75 P'14 in a press release. The commission's project remains in its nascent stages, but this first round of funding has provided it with the resources to hire engineers who will plan the extensive infrastructure renovation. The district will need significant work to become a prospering neighborhood, said Colin Kane, chairman of the commission.
The commission will work on the land's basic infrastructure before moving on to economic development. "Though several institutions have expressed keen interest in purchasing land in the area, the commission's current concern is to ensure that the district has the basic necessities," Kane said. "Nobody wants to work where the piping doesn't work."
The commission is about to finish models for roads, storm water management systems and other utilities, Kane said. They hope to begin the two-year construction project over the summer, he added. The commission will focus on "environmental due diligence" as it moves forward, he said.
"The primary thing is to create an identity for the area that is consistent with the Knowledge District and Providence," Kane said. It is for state legislators to decide which companies will reside in the new land, he said.
The Medical Education Building, home of the Alpert Medical School, was one of the first organizations to move into the emerging Knowledge District. As the neighborhood expands, Brown officials see chances for the University to grow as well, said Richard Spies, executive vice president for planning and senior adviser to the president.
"If the city, state and community want us, then we would be eager," Spies said. But due to the Knowledge District's early stage of development, "we haven't been able to plan," he added.
Spies listed a new Med School educational center, a research facility and an engineering facility as examples of institutions Brown would consider bringing to the area.
The University must clear a number of hurdles before it can begin to plan, Spies said. Among these difficulties is a debate about the amount of taxes Brown would pay on any land it purchases in the new area. Though Brown is a tax-exempt nonprofit, the I-195 legislation calls for any institution that buys land — regardless of tax-exempt status — to pay either taxes or payments in lieu of taxes.
