EQT Exeter, Transom Real Estate, Design Center Partners, Bluedog Capital Partners are four contenders for the plat near Wickenden and South Main
On Nov. 6, the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission voted to narrow the pool of nine potential developers for Parcel 5. After a private executive session, they revealed and voted on their picks: EQT Exeter, Transom Real Estate, Design Center Partners, and Bluedog.
The roughly 1.5-acre lot sits right on the river and is a stone’s throw from the pedestrian bridge at the corner of South Main and Wickenden Streets.
Each of the four finalists will return to the Commission to have the chance to revise and make their pitches again before a final decision is made.
Bluedog is the only one of the four developers based in Rhode Island. Two of the architecture firms are based out of Rhode Island — ZDS Architecture and Interiors, which is working with Bluedog, and Wade Keating Architects on the Design Center Partners proposal.
Chairman Marc Crisafulli explained that at the Commission’s next meeting, planning consulting firm Utile, Inc. will present on the proposals, clarifying the goals and potential benefits of the project. “Then those proposers will have an opportunity to come back and make a final presentation. They’ll have the freedom to adjust it if they want, based upon the feedback from Utile or from the District.”
The Commission will pick a winner not long after. Here’s some more information on each of the finalist proposals.
EQT Exeter
Commissioner Sandra Smith announced that EQT Exeter, the firm that developed Emblem 125 in the district, was on to the next round. “The overall program worked well with the design as well, but primarily, we just think they’re a fantastic partner. They’re proven,” she said, “and we think they can actually execute the project on time.”
From the Last Meeting
By the Numbers: EQT Exeter’s design features 210 residential units, including 12 “live-work” units and 21 workforce housing units (for those making 83% of the area median income in the city). The proposed building would include 10,000 square ft. of retail space and 110 parking spaces. The building would be six stories high.
Design Overview & The Pitch: CIO and Portfolio Manager Bryan Lamb emphasized that with their other building in the I-195 district, Emblem 125, they’re already going to be owners in the area for the foreseeable future. “We have a vested long-term interest in the district,” he said. Lamb also highlighted that EQT Exeter is a global private equity firm based in London.
EQT Exeter partnered with the architecture firm SCB for their building design. Clara Wineberg, executive director for SCB’s Boston office, described their design as a “gateway moment.”
“Our design vision begins by expanding the connectivity and anchoring the prominent corner on Wickenden and Water,” she said. “It can lend itself to creating a really monumental architectural statement that signifies entry into the neighborhood, but also the success of the district.”
Transom Real Estate
Commissioner Bob McCann said Transom Real Estate’s “design was very interesting. Just made a lot of sense for me, for the space over there. They seem to have a great team, and I think they’d be a great partner.”
From the last meeting
By the Numbers: Transom’s curved design would include 220 apartments and five landscaped courtyards. The building would be six stories high. The design also includes 11,500 square ft. of retail, which they envision could be filled by fitness centers, restaurants, and other businesses.
Design Overview & The Pitch: Peter Spellios with Transom Real Estate presented on behalf of the firm, emphasizing that they (and architecture firm Höweler + Yoon) have experience “straddling neighborhoods” and engaging with the public to create structures in or near historic districts in Boston.
“We think buildings are public art,” Spellios said. “They should be viewed as public art. They should be judged as public art, and you should expect nothing less.”
With the curvature of the building, architect Eric Höweler noted that from the street, the structure would look like three consecutive buildings from the street level rather than one big mass.
“We think it’s a pretty interesting technology that participates in an urban fabric, not as an object, but as a kind of background building, something that can be both a protagonist and a kind of backdrop,” Höweler said.
Both the architecture firm and developer are based out of Boston.
Design Center Partners
Commissioner Mindy Penney announced that Design Center Partners would proceed as well. “We really thought that that had a lot of energy and some really exciting stuff. So we’re excited to see what you come up with next,” she said.
From the last meeting
By the Numbers: The design includes 200 residential units, with 10 designated as creative workforce housing. There would be over 70 underground parking spots and 15,000 square ft. of public open space in addition to 50,000 square ft. of flexible retail options, according to the proposal. The structure would have five stories.
Design Overview & The Pitch: The Boston-based Ionic Development Co. and Providence-based Wade Keating Architects said they collaborated on the proposal to make Parcel 5 a center for design, creatives, and artists.
“This is about more than just a building. This is about an idea, and our idea is to create an art and design nexus for the city of Providence,” said Kaitlin McCarthy, founder and CEO of Ionic. She explained that the project would feature gallery space and ample pedestrian access through the parcel, with the tall house-inspired structures of the building nodding to the contextual architecture of Fox Point.
“We imagine creating plantings and natural elements that will really make this a nice place to work and a nice place to live,” architect Andrew Wade Keating said. “So there are a number of sustainability and resilience features that drive the project.”
Bluedog Capital Partners
And the final contender, announced by Commissioner Vincent Masino, was Bluedog. “We thought this was a very unique design. [It] really doesn’t look like anything else in the city of Providence,” he said. “It’s a different mix. They have high-end residential condos and extended-stay hotel, and [I] just think it is a good proposal and worthy of consideration.”
From the last meeting
By the Numbers: This proposal included three different uses: condos, a hotel, and retail space. The breakdown is: 41,700 square ft. for commercial space, 57,600 square ft. for the hotel, and 40,700 square ft. for condominiums on the top floors. There would be 47,100 square ft. of underground parking and the entire building would be six stories.
Design Overview & The Pitch: Richard Tasca, CEO of Bluedog Capital Partners, stressed that as a local developer, they know the community well, though they have not yet built in the I-195 district. He noted that the location of the parcel was important as a transition between the east and west sides of the city.
Eric Zuena from the Providence-based ZDS Architecture and Interiors explained how the design of the building was meant to be a natural extension of the pedestrian bridge, complementing the pre-existing built environment.
Zuena said that the bridge has had “probably one of the biggest impacts we’ve had in the city, and it certainly has triggered a lot of thought and creativity and development. This is a big piece of inspiration for us.” He explained that inspiration comes through with “the idea of its fluid motion, its forward thought relative to planning, [and] its organic shape.”
By Katy Pickens / Planning & Preservation Writer / kpickens@ppsri.org