FOUR FIRMS TO COMPETE FOR THE RIGHT TO BUILD NEXT-GENERATION TRANSIT HUB FOR PROVIDENCE

Three Massachusetts firms, one Rhode Island firm, submit qualifications

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced today that it has
received proposals from four real estate development firms in response to a request
for qualifications (RFQ) process for the construction of the Providence Intermodal
Transit Center, a facility that will integrate bus and train service with parking
and other economic development opportunities.
The firms submitting proposals include: Boston Development Collaborative, LLC; Boston
Properties Limited Partnership; Marsella Development Corporation; and Redgate Capital
Partners.
Currently, bus service in Providence is centered at Kennedy Plaza which is about
a quarter mile away from the train station. The proposed Transit Center will be
located in close proximity to the existing Providence Station, and will reunite
bus and train service while providing supporting transit-oriented development that
would increase ridership and utilization.
In addition, a new transit hub could include residential, retail, office and/or
commercial development adjacent to Providence Station. The intention is to integrate
private funding into this project, using a public-private partnership model. The
movement of buses to Providence Station was envisioned back in 2014 with voter
approval of a $35 million bond for transit hubs.
«This is a successful model to engage the private sector to work on a public sector
project that will provide tremendous benefits, support a best-in-class public transit
facility while spurring economic development opportunities in which private industry
shares the cost,» RIDOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. said. «This is a unique opportunity
to not only address our transportation needs by bringing together bus and train
service in one unified location, but also to create a catalyst for economic growth
in Providence.»
The selection of a developer for the transit hub is a two-step process. Development
teams qualified through the RFQ process will be eligible to compete in an upcoming
request for proposals (RFP) process. The developer will be chosen based on a number
of key criteria, including the firm’s experience with transit facilities,
transit-oriented
development and public-private partnerships, as well as their initial concepts for
the design, construction and operation of the transit hub and associated real estate
development project.
RIDOT will arrange for an evaluation team to review the proposals, and expects to
notify the qualified firms and issue the RFP by the end of the year. Proposals received
in response to the RFP also will be reviewed by the evaluation team. RIDOT intends
to award a contract for the Providence Intermodal Transit Center in late Summer
2017 and start construction in Fall 2018.
The Transit Center project is being developed by RIDOT, in collaboration with the
Department of Administration’s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance
(DCAMM), the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, and the Rhode Island Public Transit
Authority (RIPTA).
Rhode Island is the second most densely populated state in the country, yet its
transit utilization is well below the national average. A new transit hub in Providence
would help the state «connect the dots» with its transportation system and make
it easier and more convenient for people to use transit.