Downtown Life

The Reality of Downtown Living

A closer look at living, working and playing in the city center

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With restaurants, bars, boutiques, theatres and clubs lining its streets, Downtown is arguably the city’s most vibrant neighborhood. It’s easily walkable, and with the two-way traffic changes to Empire and Weybosset Streets, more navigable than ever. The same goes for the public transportation options in and out of Downtown to the rest of the city and the suburbs. Yet, people seem to have a strange misunderstanding of what it’s like to live there – or more, if they do live there. Even though Downtown Providence’s occupancy rate is over 96%, whenever plans for more live/work spaces are proposed for the neighborhood, the collective opinion seems to be “but do we really need those?” The answer, according to the numbers, is that we do. Last year, Downtown saw two major residential openings: the micro-lofts at The Arcade, and the luxury condos at the Providence G. Already this year, rumors are swirling about more residences in the Superman Building and the Kennedy Plaza properties that Joe Paolino recently purchased. The center of our metropolis is more densely populated than ever. Here’s a closer look at life Downtown.

WHO LIVES DOWNTOWN, ANYWAY?
There are 14 rental properties in or extremely close to Downtown, offering thousands of units. It’s easy to assume, especially when you drive down Memorial Boulevard and see more dark windows than illuminated ones at Waterplace, that they must have vacancies, right? Wrong. Downtown Providence has an occupancy rate of 96.3%, according to multifamilyexecutive.com. That makes us the fifth most occupied metro area in the country.

Even with the recent opening of the micro-lofts at the Arcade and the luxury condos at the Providence G on Dorrance Street, there’s still a demand for more housing. The Arcade has been flooded with thousands of applications for their super-affordable (and super-tiny) rentals. A Save Superman initiative has been gaining some traction recently, with the building’s owner High Rock Development proposing a mixed-use residential and commercial blend for the Superman Building.

THE COST OF MOBILITY

No matter where you live Downtown, it’s pretty much a certainty that you’re going to have to pay to park your car, whether your building has a garage or not. Monthly parking will cost you anywhere from $172-$250, according to parkdowntownprovidence.com. The website also offers tips on where the best deals on hourly parking are.

Of course, there are always taxis, but it’s not like you can walk outside and hail one. Uber now offers Providence an app-based, on-demand car service for a little bit more money, but with no tipping and luxury cars. While they’re still new in town, Uber is throwing around discount codes for a free first ride… just check your Facebook feed if you want to find one. 

When you need your own wheels, Zipcar is a super-convenient car sharing service. A monthly $6 subscription fee - plus an hourly fee for use of the cars - gives you access to wheels whenever you need them, at 12 pickup locations downtown.

The most economical vehicular travel is RIPTA, which has an astonishing 58 dedicated routes through Providence, making 3,000 daily trips. A monthly pass is $62, which is basically one tank of gas. But relying solely on the bus is going to take some time. From Kennedy Plaza, it will take you about 13 minutes to get to the Wal-Mart on Silver Spring Street, 14 to get to Olneyville Square, 20 to get to Blackstone Boulevard and about 25 minutes to reach Pawtuxet Village (which, have you been recently? You should go). The bad part? There is no service to the closest Target, in Seekonk, unless you want to get off at the last stop and walk a mile. Well, that’s what Zipcar is for, right?

MAN CANNOT LIVE BY BUS ALONE
The answer to the questions about the cost of transportation in Providence seems simple: just ride a bike. Providence is an increasingly bike-friendly city – for evidence, note the bike lanes on major thoroughfares and the bike racks popping up on sidewalks all over town. There’s even talk of a bike share coming to PVD next year. Dash Bicycle, with locations on Broadway and in The Arcade, offers rentals, parts and bike messenger service. RIPTA offers a Rack and Ride program, where you can stash your bike for free if your legs can’t make it up College Hill. The Rhode Island Bicycle Commission (ribike.org) and Bike RI offer resources for cyclists and would-be cyclists alike. But what about bad weather, you ask? Cleverhood is a line of bike-friendly allweather gear, designed in Providence no less. You’re officially out of excuses not to get on a bike.

WHO’S BUILDING A BETTER DOWNTOWN?
The Providence Downtown Improvement District
You know those folks walking around with the yellow shirts? They clean, patrol, landscape, advocate for a safe yet vibrant night-life and improve our streetscapes. Additionally, they work closely with the Providence Foundation to create jobs, attract businesses downtown and promote these businesses, events and news to the public.

The Providence Foundation
This private sector, not-for-profit, organization, backed by 110 Rhode Island companies and institutions has been working for more than 35 years to revitalize downtown. It does this by playing a leadership role in the planning of downtown – policies, plans and projects – with an emphasis on economic development and sustained investment while maintaining its vision for downtown.

Partnership for Providence Parks
Love your community parks? These folks provide support and resources to Friends groups that want their green spaces to thrive. They bring together motivated community members, city government and the Parks Department.

Greater Kennedy Plaza
As the epicenter of public transportation – RIPTA, Peter Pan and Greyhound bus lines and taxis - and outdoor recreation, you can catch a ride to almost any point in the state, ice skate, attend an outdoor concert or festival and grab a quick (and delicious) bite from one of the many food trucks. Daily programming throughout the seasonable weather in Burnside Park makes it a place you want to hang out, not just pass through.

Providence Revolving Fund
By partnering with neighborhoods and community-based organizations, this community based, non-profit, development and lending corporation preserves the architectural heritage of Providence while stimulating community revitalization. This is accomplished through advocacy, lending, technical assistance and developing in historic areas.

In Downcity
Serving as a metaphorical and physical connection for many Providence neighborhoods, Downcity refers to the area surrounded by Empire Street, Memorial Boulevard, Sabin Street and Pine Street. In Downcity lets you know all about the cultural, foodie, entertainment, shopping and general awesomeness available in the area. 

BUT, LIKE, WHERE’S THE TARGET?
While Downtown residents will often cite proximity to dining, nightlife and attractions as the best thing about their neighborhood of choice, the reverse is true regarding proximity to, say, a gallon of milk. While Gourmet Heaven on Weybossett does stock some groceries, what was touted as Downtown’s first grocery store is really more focused on deli and prepared foods. The Whole Foods on North Main Street is the closest grocery store to Downtown (about a mile from Kennedy Plaza, whereas the one on Waterman is about a mile and a half away) and Stop and Shop on West River is nearly two miles away. The good news is they all deliver groceries to your house. But if the West Side has survived this long without a large grocery retailer in walking distance, Downtown probably can, too.

The same isn’t really true for big box stores, which, with the exception of the Wal-Mart on Silver Spring Street, are all relegated to the suburbs. A trip to Target takes you all the way to Seekonk or Warwick. BJs requires a trip to Johnston. The savings of buying in bulk quickly diminishes when you factor in the cost of transportation to get to the bulk purveyors. But, don’t forget: this is the Information Age, where you can order toilet paper from Amazon and have it at your door the next day.

Want to know how much apartments cost and what's included? See the infographic.

The Reality of Downtown Living, Providence, Parking, Lofts, Micro, Luxury, G, RIPTA, Zipcar, Uber, Clubs, Bars, Restaurants, Bike

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