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Dear Neighbors,<br><br>
The Summit Neighborhood Association urges you to attend an important city
meeting to be held this Thursday, June 23, at 6:30 in the cafeteria of
the Martin Luther King Elementary School, 35 Camp Street.<br><br>
The topic will be the complete overhaul of the Providence Zoning
Ordinance, the fundamental law that shapes all construction and
development in the city. Here's a broad overview of what the City is
trying to achieve with the proposed new ordinance:
<ul>
<li>Higher density in some residential and commercial areas.
<li>Higher buildings in commercial areas and more mixed-use areas where
residential apartments would be built over storefronts.
<li>Waterfront zoning that makes a trade off between public access and
private development.
<li>Restraint of institutional sprawl and more appropriate building on
the edges of institutional complexes in residential neighborhoods.
</ul>Whether the city's draft accomplishes these objectives fairly has
already been the subject of many hours of discussion and debate among
experts and stakeholders selected by the City to help it develop the
proposals. SNA board members have devoted dozens of hours to meetings
with city officials and other stakeholders so that we can advocate for
your interests.<br><br>
The interests of Summit residents include the preservation of
neighborhood businesses and character on Hope Street. We worry about
preserving the overall cohesiveness of our streetscapes and historic
areas. We want an ordinance that enables and encourages more intensive
and high-quality commercial development on North Main Street. And, we
want clear and binding limits on the future growth of Miriam Hospital.
Lifespan and Miriam must now live up to their repeated assurances that
this expansion will be the last expansion in Summit.<br><br>
As we have not seen the full draft ordinance, we don't yet know whether
our concerns have been met. That's why this meeting is so important.
Please come.<br><br>
This meeting will be one of four held around Providence to present the
plan and listen to the public before finalizing the draft ordinance. That
draft will then go to the City Council for consideration. The City
Council process will include a number of public hearings over the summer
and fall leading to a final vote by year's end.<br><br>
Here is the official information on the meeting:<br><br>
Event Information<br>
Title: Zoning Ordinance Update - Public Information Meeting<br>
Category: Public Meetings<br>
Date: <br><br>
Thursday, June 23, 2005<br>
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 9 p.m.<br>
Calendar: Providence Zoning Commission<br>
Contact: <a href="mailto:painterL%40planning.providenceri.com">Linda
Painter</a><br><br>
Complete Description:<br>
Martin Luther King Elementary (35 Camp Street)<br><br>
6:30 pm Open House<br><br>
7:00 pm Welcome and Introductions<br><br>
7:20 pm Rotating discussion groups (Residential Zones, Commercial Zones,
Institutional Zones, Downtown Zone, Environmental Regulations)<br><br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
Jonathan Howard<br>
President, Summit Neighborhood Association<br>
178 Ninth Street, Providence, RI 02906<br>
401 331 2272</body>
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