Innovation District Park Pavilion
Community Meeting Regarding Pavilion Siting
A community meeting to discuss pavilion siting and other design work to-date will be held on October 11th at 5PM. The event will start on the east side of the park next to Tizzy K's (across from James Street). It will consist of a walking tour with stops throughout the park, and will provide a forum for discussion between the public, the project architect (ARO), the District's design consultant (Utile), and District staff. Please RSVP at questions@195district.com
Pavilion Siting
Utile, the District's on-call design consultant, has issued a memo regarding their review of the proposed pavilion location. This memo can be found at this link.
A shadow study from ARO related to site selection can be found at the following link.
On August 17th Architecture Research Office (ARO) presented to the Commission regarding their work to date, particularly their investigation of potential pavilion locations within the park. This presentation can be found at this link. An updated presentation can be found here. This presentaton follows two similar presentations regarding the recommended location to both a key stakeholder group and the 195 District's design review panel.
Operator Information Session
An information session for restauranteurs interested in operating food and beverage service in the pavilion will be held on August 18 from 9:30 – 11:30am. This will be an informal, drop-in event in the park. The event is open to the public but targeted at interested operators.
Community Learning and Input Session
On June 16 2022 Architecture Research Office (ARO) and the I-195 Redevelopment District staff hosted a public event in the park to kick-off the design of the food and beverage pavilion. Community members participated in various brainstorming activities, spoke directly with the project architects and District staff, and submitted surveys with their thoughts about both the park and future pavilion. To date over 100 surveys have been collected.
Local Business Engagement
On April 18 2022, the I-195 Redevelopment District and Councilman John Goncalves hosted an information session with local businesses regarding the pavilion. The presentation given by the District and our consultant Agora Partners can be found at this link.
Architecture & Engineering Selection
The District has selected award-winning firm ARO as the architect for the Innovation District Park Pavilion project. A press release regarding this selection can be found at this link.
Background
The Innovation District Park’s Food & Beverage Pavilion (Pavilion) is a proposed approximately 4,000 SF amenity featuring year-round dining, public bathrooms, and a small support space for park operations. The project will also include infrastructure upgrades to the park (e.g., WIFI service and electrical upgrades). The Pavilion is intended to activate the park year-round, serve as an amenity for park users and the surrounding community, and support the Innovation District’s economic development goals.
Preliminary Timeline
- Early 2022: architect selection
- Summer 2022: restaurant operator outreach and selection
- Spring – Fall 2022: design & community engagement
- Spring 2023: Break ground
- Early 2024: Pavilion opening
FAQ
1. What is the purpose of the Pavilion?
The Pavilion will provide year-round food and beverage concessions to park users and the surrounding community, as well as provide bathrooms for the public, storage space for the park, and a small office for park staff. It will also be an additional revenue stream to support park operations. A permanent food and beverage facility was a key recommendation of the 2019 park operation plan developed by Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, who is best known for their work on New York City’s Bryant Park.
2. Has an operator been selected for the Pavilion?
An operator has not been selected for the Pavilion. A request for proposals (RFP) for an operator(s) will be issued later this year. The facility may include sit down and/or take out options and could include more than one food concept or operators within the space.
3. Where will the Pavilion be located within the park?
The location of the pavilion has not yet been finalized. The ultimate location selection will consider the viability of the location for restaurant operations, site constraints, and ability to maintain the view corridors to the river identified in the I-195 Redevelopment District Development Plan among other considerations.
4. How large is the Pavilion?
While the building is yet to be designed, the pavilion is expected to be approximately 4,000 square feet.
5. How is Pavilion design and construction funded?
Funds for the Pavilion were provided by the “Beach, Clean Water, and Green bond” approved by the voters in a special election held in March of 2021.
6. Has this Pavilion been considered for any development locations abutting Park, such as Parcel 14?
The Green Bond funds will only permit the District to utilize these funds for infrastructure improvements in the park.
7. What will the community engagement process look like?
The District and ARO are hosting an initial community event on June 16, 2022 for the public to learn more about the project and provide input. You can also provide feedback via an online survey through the end of June; access the survey here: at the top of this page . There will be additional opportunities for the community to weigh in as the design and planning advances.
8. Is the Pavilion subject to the District’s Development Plan?
Yes: the pavilion is subject to the District’s zoning (i.e., the Development Plan), including the design review process outlined in the Development Plan.
9. Who are the project team members?
The District has hired the following consultants to assist with this project; as noted previously the architect and operator have not yet been selected:
- Architecture & Engineering Services: Architect Research Office (ARO), an award-winning firm with significant experience designing park pavilions.
- Restaurant consultant: Agora Partners, a placemaking consultancy specializing in parks, with an expertise in park food and beverage programming. The lead principal was primary author of (Biederman Redevelopment Ventures) plan for Innovation District Park while at BRV.
- Owner’s Project Manager: Collier’s Project Leaders, a national comprehensive real estate firm with a Providence office
- Civil & Environmental Engineer: Fuss & O’Neill, a national engineering firm with a Providence office.
To receive updates related to the park pavilion please email: questions@195district.com or submit your email address at the bottom of this page.