Many thanks to EcoRI for shining a light on a proposed fast food/gas station project proposed for the intersection of Kinsley and Dean in Providence that is “smack in the middle of a neighborhood revitalization effort to open up river habitat and advance bicycle- and pedestrian-focused infrastructure. It’s all part of a larger citywide initiative to reduce traffic and encourage walking between neighborhoods such as Federal Hill and Smith Hill.”

The article also shares widespread opposition to the proposed project, including our own: “The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council noted that the project runs counter to the city’s Climate Justice Plan, which calls for a 20 percent reduction in vehicle miles traveled by 2050. The city also aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, in part by greater pedestrian and bicycle travel. ‘A development that is built primarily for car access at the intersection of these two corridors flies in the face of those goals,’ Alicia Lehrer, executive director of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council, wrote in a letter to the [City Plan Commission].”

The next City Plan Commission hearing on the project will be on November 17.

Read the full article here.