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Don't know what streets those are (near Eddy maybe?)- but if you hone in on City Hall there will be few parking lots. Having said that, there is a dearth of parking garages since it is very hard to park downtown and many people won't go there for that very reason.
Don't know what streets those are (near Eddy maybe?)- but if you hone in on City Hall there will be few parking lots. Having said that, there is a dearth of parking garages since it is very hard to park downtown and many people won't go there for that very reason.
It's centered on (where else?) Snow Street. If you can see the map well enough (due to its size), you'll notice just how many lots there are. They are "missing teeth," if you will, and, as someone once said to me, they each represent a space where a building once stood.
I recognize that people who drive cars tend to want to park within 10 feet of their destination, but to hold progress in downtown hostage to a convenient parking space doesn't sound like good urban planning. I know there are rivers underneath parts of downtown (which still amazes me), but couldn't underground parking be part of new residential buildings that are built on terra firma?
Plus there's the matter of tax revenue. A 100 unit condo would realize (ballpark) $500-700k per year in property tax. I suspect that's a lot more than the land tax parking lots pay. Perhaps we need a land tax that encourages development and discourages idle land, which, in my pro-growth/anti-car view, is exactly what surface parking is -- idle land.
They are "missing teeth," if you will, and, as someone once said to me, they each represent a space where a building once stood.
That's very true. It's kind of embarrassing to walk downtown and see parking lot after parking lot. Often, I remember the buildings that once stood there! That parking lot next to the Arcade just looks so wrong - I miss "Buck a Book". So much open land in the heart of downcity that should really be demanding top dollar and be too valuable to be a parking lot. Sad.
As a driver and a (cheap) resident, it's a conundrum for me. I'd rather see fewer lots and a healthier city but I'd also like to see a free (or cheap) municipal lot, even if I had to walk farther, or shuttle in from a muni lot. Or maybe the city should put a lot under Burnside Park, like Boston has under the Common. Because RI'ers are pretty suburban and devoted to their cars, and we HATE to pay for parking, LOL!
In the early days of Waterfire, they used to let people park at the Dept of Health lot and they ran shuttles down to the river. Personally, I think that lot should be free to RI residents whenever employees aren't using it, since we pay for it, right?
I know there are rivers underneath parts of downtown (which still amazes me), but couldn't underground parking be part of new residential buildings that are built on terra firma?
I have always thought that should be a requirement. (But even when there isn't much underground room for parking because of water tables, there could still be 2 above ground parking floors, bypassed by an elevator or escalator)
In the early days of Waterfire, they used to let people park at the Dept of Health lot and they ran shuttles down to the river. Personally, I think that lot should be free to RI residents whenever employees aren't using it, since we pay for it, right?
you can still park there and at the State House lot, at least for Waterfire, but there is no longer any shuttle. There was too much traffic and it proved easier to walk.
you can still park there and at the State House lot, at least for Waterfire, but there is no longer any shuttle. There was too much traffic and it proved easier to walk.
I guess the East side is the only decent area then.
That would be pretty much correct, however much bogus Providence boosterism takes place from afar. If you feel otherwise, I would suggest that you run (not walk) to Olneyville or Union Park (which has been "coming back" for the past 30 years) to snatch a bargain. And the truly sad thing is that the city has done - and continues to do - absolutely nothing to reverse the trend. It's as if the city stops at I-95 (heading west) as far as City Hall is concerned.
I'm sorry to report that facts don't lie, however many dubious rankings Providence gets at or near the top of these lists. The unemployment, education and tax rates are appalling, even when compared to its nearest neighbors (including *gasp* boring old Worcester). There's a reason I left long ago never to return.
FYI: As the height of absurdity, the same web site lists Syracuse as one of the best places to retire ... including, I guess, its several feet of snow every winter ... say no more!
[quote=rranger;33981437]
I'm sorry to report that facts don't lie, however many dubious rankings Providence gets at or near the top of these lists.
Hmm, MANY dubious non-associated rankings? Yes, naysayers always rank higher than independent studies.
FYI: As the height of absurdity, the same web site lists Syracuse as one of the best places to retire ... including, I guess, its several feet of snow every winter ... say no more.
Some of the snow belt has been proven to pull in retirees. From Syracuse to Burlington to Portland and Bangor. Not everyone has a fear of cold and snow. Even out west some of the Colorado cities have large retiree populations.
Florida, Arizona or the Carribean is not for everyone.
I'm sorry to report that facts don't lie, however many dubious rankings Providence gets at or near the top of these lists.
Hmm, MANY dubious non-associated rankings? Yes, naysayers always rank higher than independent studies.
FYI: As the height of absurdity, the same web site lists Syracuse as one of the best places to retire ... including, I guess, its several feet of snow every winter ... say no more.
Some of the snow belt has been proven to pull in retirees. From Syracuse to Burlington to Portland and Bangor. Not everyone has a fear of cold and snow. Even out west some of the Colorado cities have large retiree populations.
Florida, Arizona or the Carribean is not for everyone.
I'm surprised at your lame response MR2448 -- leaving RI is not all about the weather.
Quoting Ranger: "That would be pretty much correct, however much bogus Providence boosterism takes place from afar. If you feel otherwise, I would suggest that you run (not walk) to Olneyville or Union Park (which has been "coming back" for the past 30 years) to snatch a bargain. And the truly sad thing is that the city has done - and continues to do - absolutely nothing to reverse the trend. It's as if the city stops at I-95 (heading west) as far as City Hall is concerned.
I'm sorry to report that facts don't lie, however many dubious rankings Providence gets at or near the top of these lists. The unemployment, education and tax rates are appalling, even when compared to its nearest neighbors (including *gasp* boring old Worcester). There's a reason I left long ago never to return."
As discussed on this forum repeatedly, RI's government is historically not business friendly, lacks leadership and fiscal responsibility. Look around at the stressed out faces of RI'ers, depressed downtrodden people barely getting by, waiting to retire to greener pastures, not making eye contact, looking down, not looking up, mistrusting of others.
The voices of those who escaped RI when they got the opportunity can attest that the grass IS greener in the majority of other states.
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