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180 181 www.colliers.com/PMNE +1 844 727 0055 PROJECT MANAGEMENT & COMMISSIONING The value and attractiveness of a City lies in the excellence of its schools. Schools are the bedrock of a community and help drive economic development activity, quality of life, and housing demand. Colliers Project Management has been a proud parnter of the City of Pawtucket and the Pawtucket School Department throughout the school revitalization program underway. The newMBTA commuter line station, to be built on the western side of downtown,will link Paw- tucket with Providence to the south and Boston to the north.The $40 million project is funded largely by a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant as well as money from the state’s Department of Transportation.Ad- ditional funding will be coming from the communi- ties of Pawtucket and Central Falls who decided to partner together to create a TOD, a Transit-Oriented Development District,which Boyle sees as “instru- mental in changing the development patterns in the downtown section of Pawtucket.There’s about two million square feet of underutilized space in that area, and the potential for up to four million square feet,where we’re creating a TOD district in partnership with the City of Central Falls,” she re- ports.“There’s going to be a change in the zoning for that whole area to foster new development and the repurposing of some of the existing space.This was a manufacturing center, so there’s a lot of existing mill buildings. It’s been rebranded and we’re calling it the Conant Thread District.” “By 2020, it will be up and running and people will be able to come here, and with our Transit-Ori- ented Development District,we expect that we’re going to have a place where people can live,work, and play,” she continues.“And by having an expedit- ed zoning and permitting process,we’re going to facilitate redevelopment.We already have a tremen- dous amount of development interest–properties are being bought up and properties are already be- ing renovated in anticipation of this new commuter rail stop coming in.” The Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park was created in 2015, for the purpose of pre- serving, protecting, and interpreting the industrial heritage of the Blackstone River Valley. Its crown jewel is the Slater Mill on the banks of the Black- stone River,which was designated a National His- toric Landmark in 1966.The Slater Mill site now serves as a museum, educational center, and music venue, and is key to the city’s plans for a growing tourism industry. Another regional planning project, of which Pawtucket is partnering with two other Blackstone Valley communities, Central Falls and the City of Cumberland, is the Broad Street Regeneration Ini- tiative.Through a Preserve America grant from the National Park Service, the three cities have devel- oped an action plan to sustainably develop this key thoroughfare to stimulate business growth, encour- age youth involvement, enhance safety along the street, and support heritage tourism in the region. “It’s about connecting the communities, tying in the parcels and making it a long stretch, so it becomes one community, if you will,” says Grebien. “We see it as an opportunity to support the small businesses, the restaurants, the retail, and the other things that exist along that Broad St. corridor, and particularly, in the downtown,which for many years has been struggling,”Boyle adds.“At one point, it was a very thriving downtown with some fantastic architecture and was the hub of the Blackstone Valley section of Rhode Island.We see it as coming back and regaining its role as the center of northern Rhode Island.The Broad Street Regeneration Initia- tive is emblematic of us working to be that gateway to northern Rhode Island. It’s been a terrific effort and verymuch appreciated by the small business owners in that area.” Since 1970, the Pawtucket Red Sox have played their home games at the city’s McCoy Stadium. “About three years ago, the ownership of the Paw- PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND