Stand on the banks of the Seekonk river on the eastern edge of Fox Point and look across to the East Providence shoreline: you’ll see a landscape of abandoned oil refineries, flourishing weeds, and a perpetually raised drawbridge, hanging uselessly in the sky. This drawbridge, and the tunnel to which it was once connected, is the springboard of a development plan by Brown graduate Richard Manchester, of Burlington, Vermont, that may end up attracting the interest of Brown University.Manchester proposes to develop Crook Point, the stretch of shoreline between Washington Bridge (I-195) and Henderson Bridge (at the end of Angell Street). The proposal for the site, made public last summer, includes 400 housing units, 1,400 units of parking, and open green space. Plus, if all goes as envisioned, a bus or tram would run across the old railway bridge, through the connecting tunnel, and come out on the East Side of Providence.
A new design for living
Manchester says he’s trying to put together a development plan “that justifies daily ridership between Crook Point and downtown Providence.” Part of that plan, according to last summer’s proposal (available in the East Providence Mayor’s office), is to convince Brown University that getting involved is in their best interest. One of the next steps listed in the plan is to “work…to adjust and refine the project and design concepts with the goal of molding the project into a viable package to meet the needs of the Company, Brown, the City of East Providence, and the state.” Could this be a future site of Brown dorms and parking lots? East Providence Mayor Rolland Grant says, “Mr. Manchester is looking at a theory of housing and parking to serve Brown and the rest of the city [East Providence].”
Mayor Grant is already convinced that partnering with Brown is in East Providence’s best interest. “The more academia gets involved the better,” he says. “It’s obvious these people have an interest and that interest could be given to us…When you get academia involved you can’t even tell how much its going to help us. It’s an inevitable benefit.”
So will Brown get involved? As of now, the university is far from committing to the project. Brown is in the early stages of implementing its “Strategic Framework for Physical Planning,” which asserts that “the University’s long-term growth needs cannot be accommodated fully on College Hill.” The guidelines seem to mesh with the East Providence waterfront development: maintenance of a “shuttle system,” shared growth with “government and other institutions,” and finding sites suited to long-term development.
Brown’s Executive Vice President for Planning, Richard Spies, is not ready to embrace Crook Point: “We’ve had some conversations about that, but it is just one of a whole lot of places that we would say at the moment ‘Well, we’ll have to think about that.’ I don’t know enough to know if it’s realistic to accomplish the things [Manchester and his company want to accomplish].”
Say yes
Crook Point is only a small part of the hugely ambitious East Providence Waterfront Special Development District Plan (available online at eastprovidence.com). The plan coordinates and conceptualizes development along the entire East Providence coastline. It was first unveiled to the public in December, but has been in the works for at least eight years. It calls for the transformation of over 300 acres of waterfront into a “new city,” converting land abused and abandoned by industry into mixed use property—residential, commercial, and industrial. There would be open land, a waterfront drive, and an extension of the East Bay bike path to Bristol. The plan has the backing of Governor Carcieri and funding from state and federal agencies. Advocates say it could bring in $2 billion in construction investments and create 3,000-4,000 jobs.
Manchester speaks of the project in grand terms. “We’re looking at the relative scale of the Boston Commons versus Golden Gate Park versus Central Park versus the Seekonk. This could be an urban park on that scale.”
East Providence has the longest shoreline in Rhode Island, and it used to generate income by providing a base for oil refineries and steel mills. Most of the industry left in the late 1970’s, and the area has remained a wasteland since then. The Seekonk is notorious for being, as Manchester says, “the first river in America that became polluted as a result of industrial pollution.” Industrial waste and sewage from Worcester to the bay was dumped into the river for centuries. Now, making the waterfront into a high-end residential and recreational property is a huge challenge.
Crook Point may turn out to be one of the easier sites to clean up. Unlike most of the other properties, it was never used by industry. Instead, it was owned by the Providence and Worcester Railroad, which used to run trains between Providence, East Providence, and Boston. In 1908, the railroad built the two-track tunnel through the hill, which was connected to the bridge that stretches to Crook Point. The bridge and tunnel were in use until 1978, when the railway relocated north to its present spot, and the land, tunnel, and bridge have been abandoned ever since. (You can still see the two ends of the tunnel—one is on South Main Street north of Angell Street; the other is off of Gano Street, north of Washington bridge.) “There never was any development there,” says Mayor Grant. “It was the dumping grounds of the state department of transportation.” That’s a lot better than the dumping grounds of a steel or oil company. Grant says of Crook Point, “I don’t think there has to be a whole lot of remediation—but you never know.”
Aside from pollution, there is also the issue of structural stability. So far, everyone involved in the development is cautiously optimistic on the subject of the proposed tram. According to the Waterfront Development plan, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation assessed the tunnel and the bridge, and found both to be in good condition, “acceptable for rehabilitation and modification for either rail or bus usage.” According to Mayor Grant, modification would likely entail paving over the tracks with plastic, and running a light, rubber-wheeled bus, operated by RIPTA.
Keep boston out of east providence
Logistical details are not yet firm enough for Brown to feel comfortable stepping on board. Nevertheless, Mayor Grant is optimistic enough that he sees a successful and speedy development of Crook Point providing the “springboard” for similar residential projects along the coast.
A small public relations explosion occurred in December when The Providence Journal reported that the development “has the backing of Brown University.” Two weeks later, former Providence mayor Joseph Paolino wrote an Op-Ed in the paper pleading Brown, “don’t leave home,” pointing to Allens Avenue as an alternative development site, and suggesting Providence developers call President Ruth Simmons. Richard Spies responded with damage control, asserting, “We have not yet reached any conclusions nor developed any interest in specific development projects or opportunities…Brown cherishes its Providence roots…and takes seriously its commitment to the life of the city and of all of Rhode Island.”
The underlying issue is whether developments in East Providence would lead to increased competition for resources, jobs, and business interests with Providence. Once a city wealthy with revenue from industry, East Providence has since become, in Mayor Grant’s words, a “bedroom community.” Of the difference between the two cities, he says, “For years they’re like two different worlds. We’ve been suburban over here and it’s like worlds apart. That’s how it is.” The tram, he says, would bring the cities closer together, and he hopes that the traffic would go two ways. “It depends on not having the same type of store here and over there,” he says. “Competition between one city and another is not the best thing in the world.”
As far as Brown is concerned, East Providence is just one option. Brown is also considering expanding more into the Jewelry District, where it recently acquired a new building to be used for genetics research. As far as the university’s commitment to Providence, according to Spies, “There is a strong belief that our success and Providence’s success are related to each other. There’s an expectation that we’ll look hard to try to solve the problems here in Providence. That’s also driven by the issue closer is better.” However, “If it turns out that the best opportunity really is to develop in East Providence or Pawtucket, then our first responsibility is to the university and its future.”
Spies says Brown is not in a big hurry to get off the hill—geographic expansion is a long-term not a short-term goal. “It will be gradual,” he says. “We’re a long way from acquiring particular pieces of property—at least months, probably years.” But the concepts are already in place. Spies says Brown would ideally like to “cluster things together,” building new academic buildings and dorms in the same area, kind of second campus.
Manchester’s proposal for Crook Point is only for housing and parking, and Mayor Grant did not think academic facilities were on the table. Spies says acquiring parking is “critically important,” and acquiring housing is also a priority, especially because rents on the East Side have skyrocketed in recent years. This has been particularly hard for graduate students, he says, and the university may start offering more grad student housing.
Brown is not the only university in Providence expanding away from its historical base. RISD bought a building in downtown Providence that it plans to convert into a dormitory for 500 students. And Johnson and Wales recently opened a dormitory in a converted old-person’s home on Taunton Avenue in East Providence. Brown, however, has until recently stuck close to the hill. The university has never thought about buying property in East Providence before. “Strange,” says Mayor Grant, “But then again, there was none.”
Still, Brown is looking for exactly the kind of development that Manchester’s plan calls for: housing and parking at a very close proximity to College Hill, with a direct shuttle running between them. According to Manchester, the old train tunnel runs directly under Metcalf, and that could be a site for a street exit. “Imagine a vertical shaft right there…you might park in my facility…and get to Thayer Street within five minutes.” Metcalf is also a potential site for the new student center approved by the corporation last weekend. But it’s too early to tell whether such a plan would be physically possible. Mayor Grant is hopeful. Of the tram, he says, “It would be a great deal better if that went through.” Spies, for his part, remains cautious. “Its speculation at this point.”
Jenny Asarnow B’04 hosts wicka parties every other weekend in the abandoned tunnel.
