The Armory Thread

[jencoleslaw]

this happened right outside my house, btw, during the day (well, early evening--it was still light)

Federal Hill Woman Mugged...

[basachs]

this happened right outside my house, btw, during the day (well, early evening--it was still light)

Federal Hill Woman Mugged...

Ah! This is why there were cops up and down my neighborhood for hours monday night.

[basachs]

Walked by 1447 Westminster Street (Funeral Home, Normas, Diner car thing) and saw a big sign advertising the project. Had a website and thought I would post. Has some good info in here about plans for that space, including the news (to me) that furutre phases of this will include two new buildings. Pretty interesting.

http://www.westvillageprovidence.com/

BTW I have no vested interest in this project specifically, but I live around the corner and would obviously like to see this area blossom better.

[runawayjim]

Walked by 1447 Westminster Street (Funeral Home, Normas, Diner car thing) and saw a big sign advertising the project. Had a website and thought I would post. Has some good info in here about plans for that space, including the news (to me) that furutre phases of this will include two new buildings. Pretty interesting.

http://www.westvillageprovidence.com/

BTW I have no vested interest in this project specifically, but I live around the corner and would obviously like to see this area blossom better.

why are there only pictures of the top of the house on their site?

[Griswald]

wow, that's awesome....a few steps away from where I live, hopefully it will increase property values around there.

[Liamlunchtray]

why are there only pictures of the top of the house on their site?

I'm assuming it's because currently the lowerhalf is covered with scaffolding and debris and what have you. I was all excited to be the first one to post this url today. Doh.

Im excited for the project, but none too keen on the name. They should have called it "No really, its hip on the West Side - HONEST!! Village" instead. What I really want to know is where the Diner is going to go. I would love for it to stay close by, although at this point I am pretty darn attached to the Classic.

Im surprised that the Warehouse on my street (Harrison) hasnt sold yet. It has CONDO ME written all over it.

[basachs]

I'm assuming it's because currently the lowerhalf is covered with scaffolding and debris and what have you. I was all excited to be the first one to post this url today. Doh.

Im excited for the project, but none too keen on the name. They should have called it "No really, its hip on the West Side - HONEST!! Village" instead. What I really want to know is where the Diner is going to go. I would love for it to stay close by, although at this point I am pretty darn attached to the Classic.

Im surprised that the Warehouse on my street (Harrison) hasnt sold yet. It has CONDO ME written all over it.

Early bird and all that I guess. Sorry man.

I am excited for this too, especially the prospect of filling the corner of Westminster and Harkness with a building built to the street. Really cool.

I was agetting my car inspected at Jerry's Auto Square last week and was sitting outside staring at the Lawton building and the storefront church Thinking how cool it would be to condo that building out. And put a Trader Joe's or something equivalent where the church is.

Better yet, tear down the storefront church and build a multi story building there! Of course, that could have been all the sun in my eyes..

[Liamlunchtray]

Early bird and all that I guess. Sorry man.

I am excited for this too, especially the prospect of filling the corner of Westminster and Harkness with a building built to the street. Really cool.

I was agetting my car inspected at Jerry's Auto Square last week and was sitting outside staring at the Lawton building and the storefront church Thinking how cool it would be to condo that building out. And put a Trader Joe's or something equivalent where the church is.

Better yet, tear down the storefront church and build a multi story building there! Of course, that could have been all the sun in my eyes..

Teardown the storefront church and the gas stastion next door and do a Trader Joes as well as a couple smaller store fronts with Condo's upstairs as well as in the Lawton Building. The only issue of course is parking. Maybe there would be a way to do a parking garage in the rear of the lot where the lot for the church is currently.

[basachs]

Parking I was thinking of building a parking garage where the gas station is with storefronts on Westminster.

Parking is definitely a problem there. A TJ's gets mobbed! But what a coup it would be for the west side to have one.

The other place I would love to see it is that complex next to Royal Lunch and the "Condos in 2004" building. Plenty of parking there.

[citybuilder]

Teardown the storefront church and the gas stastion next door and do a Trader Joes as well as a couple smaller store fronts with Condo's upstairs as well as in the Lawton Building. The only issue of course is parking. Maybe there would be a way to do a parking garage in the rear of the lot where the lot for the church is currently.

Per a recent call to TJ's HQ in Monrovia CA, they have no plans to expand to RI within the next two years. Don't know if or how they would react to concerted lobbying if you wanted to change their minds...I wonder whether there is a lesser known equivalent that is regional and could be more easily recruited to these newly hip neighborhoods?

[basachs]

There are a few out there. Sunflower Markets has locations in the southwest and midwest and is an excellent store.

Wild Oats also has various incarnations of their larger stores. Henry's Marketplace, Sun Harvest, and Capers community markets.

Wild Oats has their standard size store in West Hartford Ct. Not sure if they are expanding thier other concepts outside of the west coast, but it is worth a call.

[oak]

There are some very tentative plans for a small market/co-op to open in the ground floor of the new WBNA building on Westminster. The people involved with the Urban Greens Co-op have long wanted to open a market. They submitted a grant application to the United Way within the last 4-6 weeks for funds and will find out this summer if they will be awarded the grant. However, this is a very competitive grant round.

I was talking recently with one of the people who wrote the grant and she said that if they are awarded the grant the market would likely open in summer 2007. She said that WBNA plans to start construction on the building this fall and retail buildout would happen in the spring.

I think Wild Oats in Portland, ME is very average compared to Bread and Circus (I still can't call it Whole Foods) and TJs, but it would be better than nothing.

[Cotuit]

There are some very tentative plans for a small market/co-op to open in the ground floor of the new WBNA building on Westminster.

I've heard rumblings about this recently. What is the address of this building?

[basachs]

There are some very tentative plans for a small market/co-op to open in the ground floor of the new WBNA building on Westminster. The people involved with the Urban Greens Co-op have long wanted to open a market. They submitted a grant application to the United Way within the last 4-6 weeks for funds and will find out this summer if they will be awarded the grant. However, this is a very competitive grant round.

I was talking recently with one of the people who wrote the grant and she said that if they are awarded the grant the market would likely open in summer 2007. She said that WBNA plans to start construction on the building this fall and retail buildout would happen in the spring.

I think Wild Oats in Portland, ME is very average compared to Bread and Circus (I still can't call it Whole Foods) and TJs, but it would be better than nothing.

I forgot about the Urban Greens, I posted about that a few weeks ago. Very cool to have both either way though. Its all moot though for the most part, the only project that is closer to reality is the WBNA Housing/Urban Greens project.

Curious as to what you found average about the WO in Portland? Have you been to the one in West Hartford? they have pretty much the same exact stuff as WF. In fact, they have a broader selection than a lot of Whole Foods do.

I have found that B&C was a lot better than the WF incarnation you see nowadays. This has held true in at least 5 difference B&C's that are now WFs.

[oak]

Cotuit, I think the number is 1577 Westminster. It is the lot where WBNA held the design competition and plan to demo the ugly garage for a new mixed use building. It is across the street from WBNA and Armory Revival.

WO in Portland is pretty dark and dingy. The produce isn't great, but other things are fine. The little Bread and Circus on Waterman is a much nicer store in comparison. I haven't been to a WO other than in Portland. Yes, I liked B&C better than WF too.

[basachs]

Cotuit, I think the number is 1577 Westminster. It is the lot where WBNA held the design competition and plan to demo the ugly garage for a new mixed use building. It is across the street from WBNA and Armory Revival.

WO in Portland is pretty dark and dingy. The produce isn't great, but other things are fine. The little Bread and Circus on Waterman is a much nicer store in comparison. I haven't been to a WO other than in Portland. Yes, I liked B&C better than WF too.

Oak, the WO in Hartford is not dark and dingy at all. I have been to another one in Andover Ma that is birght and airy as well. Produce was excellent in both.

Anyway it is kind of a moot point. I am very hopeful about Urban Greens though.

Cotuit, you gonna walk down here for that?

[Cotuit]

Cotuit, you gonna walk down here for that?

On the weekends, probably. It doesn't quench my on-the-way-home desires though. I'd really like a green grocer on Atwells to compliment Venda, and Tony's Colonial, and Sciallo Bros. Bakery. I wouldn't feel so bad eating 20 cup cakes if I had a green bean or two now and then.

MetroLofts would be an ideal grocery store location, for me anyway.

[Frankie811]

Can you provide a summary, please? I don't want to create a Juno account just to read the article.

Sorry, I totally screwed this up. Will try to repost.

[Frankie811]

I just found this and can't remember if it was already posted so here goes.

http://westsideskeptic.blogspot.com/

[xine]

I just found this and can't remember if it was already posted so here goes.

http://westsideskeptic.blogspot.com/

That blog is so full of errors - from incorrect "facts" to outright lies - I stopped counting. That person has no credibility with me.

This type of muckraking makes me glad that real journalists still exist, even with their flaws.

[Frankie811]

WBNA's 2006 Phonathon

http://www.wbna.org/

[WestSideSkeptic]

That blog is so full of errors - from incorrect "facts" to outright lies - I stopped counting. That person has no credibility with me.

This type of muckraking makes me glad that real journalists still exist, even with their flaws.

Dear Xine: My blog contains no lies (deliberate misstatements of fact). If it contains accidental errors of fact, I hope you will tell me what they are and I will happily correct them. To save us both some time, though, please remember the difference between fact and opinion. "You said mean things about [WBNA/PPSRF/Armory Revival] and they're the best thing ever!" is not a factual correction. Also, "you're just a whiny RISD student" or "you're just a middle class hypocrite" are not adequate refutations of fact or argument. I only say this because I have gotten quite a few posts along those lines. I hope your posts will be factual, logical, and interesting. Looking forward to your reply and a good discussion. -WSS

[basachs]

So when are you going to update the blog? I dont agree with most of what you say, but it is nice to read different opinions.

[Liamlunchtray]

Dear Xine: My blog contains no lies (deliberate misstatements of fact). If it contains accidental errors of fact, I hope you will tell me what they are and I will happily correct them. To save us both some time, though, please remember the difference between fact and opinion. "You said mean things about [WBNA/PPSRF/Armory Revival] and they're the best thing ever!" is not a factual correction. Also, "you're just a whiny RISD student" or "you're just a middle class hypocrite" are not adequate refutations of fact or argument. I only say this because I have gotten quite a few posts along those lines. I hope your posts will be factual, logical, and interesting. Looking forward to your reply and a good discussion. -WSS

If these are mis-truths, why dont you use your name or tell us anything about who you are or where you are coming from? I think a lot of people are making these assumptions because you havent said anything otherwise.

[basachs]

Definitely agree, the lack of background info puts into question the veracity of the assertions on that website.

A website affiliated with the blog is www.phdcwatch.org. Basically railing against the Providence Historical District commision

One thing they have on the website which is cool is the agendas for the PHDC meetings. I noticed this snippet from March 06 that attracted my attention and is of particular note to the Armory neighborhood.

OTHER BUSINESS

5. PRELIMINARY APPLICATION WHAT CHEER/LOUTTIT LAUNDRY, 93 CRANSTON STREET (ICBD)

The applicant is proposing the demolition or partial demolition of the existing building as part of a redevelopment proposal for the site.

Anyone know what if anything came of this and what the redevelopment proposal is. I am itching for something to be done with that property. Its one of the reasons I take new visitors down Broadway instead of Westminster.