Pawtucket Downtown Growth Center

Over the past several months, The Pawtucket Foundation has carefully studied the potential for new real estate development in the Downtown.  We have suggested to the City Planning Department to align land development practices and economic priorities with the State's land use plan.  To this extent, the City of Pawtucket is exploring the potential to prepare the required documentation to create a state-designated urban "Growth Center".  

Growth Center designation will create the narrative support and strategic focus to guide economic development and infrastructure spending in the City.  This policy will focus new development growth in an area that has adequate infrastructure, existing transportation access and proximity to jobs and housing.  Mayor Grebien is on board with this strategy as evidenced by his support of a bill that would create incentives for urban development within the growth center.  Sadly, there are currently no state incentives to encourage or require the municipalities to direct more intense development in growth centers.

The Rhode Island State Guide Plan Element 121: Land Use 2010 encourages “development of new growth centers or villages that incorporate the concepts of the land use plan.  Those concepts include: encouraging compact, mixed-use development; preserving open space; conserving natural resources; fitting the type of development to the capability of the land to support development and to the availability of infrastructure; and promoting a sense of community.”

The historic downtown of Pawtucket far exceeds the minimum criteria to be designated as a state certified Growth Center.  The goals in the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan articulate a vision to rehabilitate this underutilized area by investing in a 21st century transportation system, designing a superior mulit-modal infrastructure network, investing in the riverfront and revitalizaing the many historic buildings and structures.  The historic land development pattern of the downtown was based on the fundamental primary and secondary pedestrian sheds; hence the entire growth area is a compact, walkable area primarily within a half-mile radius of the Old Slater Mill.