Defending the providenwaterfront.org position on maintaining ports

On reviewing the website it occurred to me the probably the single most important issue is the job opportunities outlined in the http://providenceworkingwaterfront.org/index.php/providences-working-waterfront/economic-impact/ . The single most important issue was the ability to bring Port-sector workers earning on average, about $50,000 a year. This is critical for the RHODE ISLAND economy
because, being a state that has been hard hit by  housing market crisis, locals will be able to pay their mortgages and want to stay in RI. this is also, a way to sustain the local economy and enable local government to collect taxes from people “ who can afford to pay them”. It is imperative that job opportunities
like these be encouraged to stay.. One key thing here is, the infrastructure is already in place and currently bringing, hundreds of millions of dollars in total economic impact for the region. according to the site, From over 2,000 ships per year use the port to offload salt, cement, asphalt, and petroleum products,
and load up with recycled metal for export to international markets & 9 million tons of cargo move through the port every year." It will be a huge opportunity cost we to lose this. We need to consider
that there will be no replacement for these jobs if we turn this waterfront port facility into for example a “ housing resort”. Although that on the average can bring in huge capital at onces, but, NOT continuously as the ports facilities can.

Over time though. We need to understand that port facilities cannot be man made “easily” to adjust to economic conditions. It is harder adjust zoning regulations to facilitate an existing waterfront property that is consider for housing to be turned into a port facility. So losing this facility can destroy an already
struggling economy and lose all the business it brings to the state. This is supported by the arguments made for on site. For example, the working waterfront area along the Allens Avenue Corridor– north of Thurbers Avenue and south of the relocated I-195 – would be rezoned for mixed uses such as residential condominiums, marinas, hotels, retail shops, and restaurants. Artist renderings in these planning documents portray an idyllic waterfront filled with glitzy new condos, hotels, and boats moving about the port.
Completely absent from these renderings are existing working waterfront businesses, many of whom have continuously operated in the same  location for over 100 years http://providenceworkingwaterfront.org/index.php/zoning-issues/. While it would seem easier to move from port facilities and completely turn the economy into and housing industry. The existing infrastructure is already suffering from the effects of housing market down turn – an added reason not to make this  change. I feel it can  or could take 10 years to reclaim any profits from the housing infrastructure that is being proposed for this area. The local economy would have lost 10 plus years of stead income and a completely ruined port infrastructure, plus many many hundreds of thousands of dollars of job opportunities in the new England region.

So we need to rethink our decision to set up condominiums in this critical infrastructure. It is time to think about the trade off. Will it benefit RI as a state to embrace a highly already struggling housing market? Or will it be more prudent to encourage current economic sustainable port activity, critical to the region in this area with some modification if necessary to include housing market options, but carefully planned. Ultimately, the verdict is on the conscious of the political leaders and the future they want for Rhode island. Nonetheless, the picture is clear, we cannot lose what we have now, for what we do NOT have and hope that what we don’t have will provide a better future when all the economic pointers showing us with a direction whose benefit
will not outweight the cost?

To conclude. I would say, http://providenceworkingwaterfront.org/index.php/zoning-issues/ I support the idea of the over the coming months, Providence Working Waterfront Alliance members will be working with city and state officials to ensure that the appropriate zoning is put into place to protect the economic vibrancy
of the Port of Providence. Hopefully they will see the logic and compelling reasons why we cannot lose the ports and the income it brings compared to any housing infrastructure at this critical time in the history of RI and more importantly the nation.