Part I
:: Trickle Down…
Issue 1
Volume 2
Commercial Space in Providence
by Lisa Carnevale + Erik Bright, PCIS
page 1 page 2
The mills of the ICBD
that currently provide cheap space for these small businesses to grow and
compete in a global market, also provide accessible locations for employees
who live in a diverse working class and predominantly immigrant neighborhood.
It is important to note that for many of the workers in these buildings who
do not own cars and are dependent on the availability of public transportation,
the close proximity to their residential community is significant. Also, for
many immigrants of varying legal status, family-owned businesses in the mills
are a lifeline in an increasingly corporate retail and commercial world. The
income and profits that are generated are directly reinvested in the community
and go back into the city and state economy
Big companies do not spring up overnight. They require cheap spaces to incubate;
buildings where people can test and grow their own entrepreneurial ideas,
where they can partner with other businesses, share space, facilities, labor,
security and resources. These mills have provided that kind of creative and
nurturing climate throughout their life and have had the ability through their
load bearing and open architecture to adapt to the changing industrial and
commercial needs of our society. This is the kind of space we are rapidly
losing and should be a focus of the city and community that is being affected.
To date, over 3/4 of Providence’s historic mills have been demolished because of new construction, fires and neglect. One has only to look to the devastating fire that recently hit the Hamlet Ave. mill complex in Woonsocket to be reminded of this ongoing tragedy. This being said, developers who are renovating these buildings and making them code compliant are working towards preserving the structures of our industrial past and should be recognized as such. At the same time, developers and the city should be accountable to the current uses and businesses that are being displaced. Without thwarting development by creating a blanket policy, a requirement of relocation assistance should be tied to any such project receiving a city subsidy.
In addition, the city may consider creating a fund for affordable commercial space that the developer can contribute to as well as consider possibilities whereby the city might partner to renovate a portion of the site for such uses. This being said, the extremely high cost of environmental remediation and preserving these industrial mills place limits as to what can be expected of developers to contribute. Currently, the pressure from the community is to require developers to focus their accountability on creating an affordable housing component for the $20K median income of Olnyville. As long as this remains the immediate concern, it will not be financially feasible to expect developers to contribute to the potential solutions for dealing with commercial displacement issue. Outside of the City’s Planning Department, few community voices have raised concern over the significant loss of affordable commercial space and its threat to the long-term economic growth of our city. Understandably, the focus of recent community concerns has been on the threat of gentrification that the residential components of these developments pose to the Olneyville neighborhood, as well as the need of Providence and Rhode Island to supply affordable housing. This is coupled with the concern that gentrification will remain insular and change the rich creative character and cultural fabric of the existing neighborhoods that contribute to its sense of place. While these issues merit attention, it is important to note that their effects are going to happen in the long term. Due to rising interest rates and a stabilizing real estate market that has been flooded with new housing, real estate values are no longer increasing and rents are dropping for the time being. In the end, these mill projects are not directly displacing housing, but are currently affecting our neighborhoods with the sudden and real loss of affordable commercial space and the tenants who work there.
Through our efforts as an organization, we advocate for a mixed economic make up and have positioned ourselves to implement alternatives that will complement the large scale development that is important to reversing decades of divestment in our city and state. By doing this, we envision a healthy mix of use in the mills with an accessibility for all – the current local population, the incoming population and the visiting population. Whether it is an issue of affordable housing or affordable commercial space, it is the civic responsibility of individuals to voice their concerns and the role of the city, state and federal government to adopt policies that will work to preserve the interests of our citizens. PCIS has developed a list of policy initiatives that aim to retain businesses and jobs in the ICBD through affordable and accessible space for creative and industrial uses. As our city continues to move forward in development and growth, we continue to advocate for these principals and aim to offset the loss of these spaces and the cottage industries that employ our community. We encourage others to do so as well. For more information, please contact us at info@pcisprov.org.
