Commercial property owners on College Hill will officially present their petition to establish a Thayer Street Management District and a district management authority at a public hearing held by the City Council's Ordinance Committee on Dec. 8.
If the Council approves the petition, it will lay the groundwork for $750,000 in capital improvements to Thayer Street and establish a means for collecting funds from the owners of 37 properties on and around Thayer Street to ensure the maintenance of those improvements.
In 2003, the University pledged $350,000 and the city promised $400,000 for aesthetic initiatives such as better lighting, sidewalk repairs and new trashcans, as well as increased security and parking capacity.
The petition was originally submitted to the Council on Oct. 13 with signatures from the owners of 71.3 percent of commercial property in the Thayer Street district. The petition was referred to the five-person Ordinance Committee for an obligatory 30-day comment period after the council's docket meeting Oct. 20.
Ward 2 Councilwoman Rita Williams, chair of the Ordinance Committee, supports the creation of a Thayer Street DMA, according to Vice President for Public Affairs and University Relations Michael Chapman.
"We're excited about being in a competitive, changing retail arena so we can continue to be attractive (to consumers) and hit a responsive chord in the community (once the petition is approved)," said Kenneth Dulgarian, vice president of the Thayer Street Improvement District. The TSID is a coalition of the 10 largest Thayer Street property owners, the University and the city of Providence.
Dulgarian said that after the petition's "eminent" approval in the next month, TSID members will have the opportunity to finalize plans with the design firm through the end of winter, when weather will no longer impede construction work.
