In evaluating the various environmental implications of redeveloping land which has an industrial history and/or has served as a highway for several decades, it is important to recognize that there are numerous players, both public and private., Recognizing and acknowledging the role and position of these various stakeholders is a necessary first step in understanding how this project fits into the larger context of brownfields redevelopment.

Public Institutions | Private Institutions
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Public Institutions

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM)

This is the state department with regulatory authority over contaminated sites.  It also has a targeted Brownfields Assessment Program through which developers can seek financial encouragement for redeveloping contaminated - or potentially contaminated - sites.  Cleaning up a site necessarily involves working with DEM to go through a rigorous process of assessment, testing, and if necessary, remediation.  To explore this process further, click here [link to the section that explains assessment and remediation].

To conduct a file review of a site's history, call 401.222.6822
Click here to visit the homepage of the DEM website.
Click here to examine different financial incentives for brownfields redevelopment.

Rhode Island Department of Transportation

This state department is overseeing the cleanup of the old corridor - with the collaboration of DEM - as well as the sale of the lands in the corridor and the relocation of the highway to its new location.  It has hired the Maguire Group, Inc. as a consultant to assess historical contamination in the old corridor and what remediation will be necessary before selling the lands in the corridor.  This process of investigating the lands for potential contamination involves not only historical research and actual testing but rigorous, hands-on investigation of a site. While DOT is conducting these investigations in the old corridor, the department does not plan on doing extensive analysis of the corridor, and further investigations of potential subsurface contamination will be in conjunction with prospective buyers and DEM.  DOT will also be responsible for any public parks, riverwalks, or greenways built in the redevelopment project (Interview with Ed Symzanski of DOT, 4/10).

Visit the directory or the homepage
Click here to view maps, pictures, and more information on the progress of the relocation project.

Providence Planning Department

Among the objectives of the Providence Planning Department are to create a progressive planning process for the city, provide expert advice and guidance to boards and citizen groups who seek to develop and improve housing and commercial or industrial development be it through new construction, historic restoration and neighborhood improvement, and promote neighborhood revitalization by directing federal dollars towards positive urban development.

To contact the department, call 401.351.4300 or visit the website.

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Private institutions

Sasaki, Inc.

Sasaki is an interdisciplinary urban planning firm which was contracted by the City of Providence to create the Providence 2020 plan, a redevelopment plan for the downtown area of Providence which incorporates ideas of sustainability, historic preservation, and urban vitality. 

To contact Sasaki in their Massachusetts office, call 617.926.3300
Click here to view the Provodence 2020 plan

Strategic Growth at Brown

This is a Brown University initiative project which is guiding the administration's plans for further expansion into the Jewelry District and other areas of Providence.

To contact the Director of Strategic Growth, Rebecca Barnes, call 401.863.6201

Johnson & Wales University

Johnson & Wales had state legislation passed several years ago which gave the university special rights to some of the lands in the I-195 corridor.  The university will definitely, like Brown, be a future stakeholder in the corridor.

To see a related interview with Rebecca Barnes of Strategic Growth at Brown, click here.

To visit the JWU Providence campus website, click here.

Maguire Group, Inc.

The Maguire Group is an Architectural, Engineering, Planning and Construction Management firm which has been hired by the Department of Transportation to evaluate potential historical contamination in the old corridor as well as in the new corridor.  The Maguire Group is also responsible for reconstructing the former street design of the old corridor.

To contact the Maguire Group, call (401) 272-6000 or click here to visit the website.

Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse

Struever Bros. is a socially conscious development firm which values redevelopment, community collaboration, and urban vitality.  It is currently working on the redevelopment of a former power plant that was operated by The Narragansett Electric Company (now National Grid).  The project is called The Dynamo House at Providence Point, and will be transformed into a mixed-use waterfront development and home to the Heritage Harbor Museum.

To contact the firm, call 401.574.2100 or click here to visit the website.
Click here to view more information about Dynamo House.

Jewelry District Association

This is an association of historians and concerned community members who work to preserve the historic integrity of the Jewelry District, a neighborhood in Providence which is historically associated with jewelry manufacturing and a booming costume jewelry industry in the 19 th and 20 th centuries.

Click here to visit the website.

Providence Foundation

The Providence Foundation is a non-profit arm of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.  The Foundation promotes economic development in the downtown area.