PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — In an op-ed published April 14, 2015, in the Providence Journal, Brown University President Christina H. Paxson encourages public-private partnerships to help realize the vision for development of the Jewelry District captured in the Building on Distinction strategic plan.

Paxson outlines how partnerships among academic institutions, the City of Providence, and the State of Rhode Island can create an engine of economic innovation and production benefiting the city and the state. She highlights the benefits of South Street landing, a multi-use project for which construction gets underway next month to redevelop a power station across the Providence River, less than one mile from the campus’ Main Green. The project will provide a shared nursing education center for Rhode Island College and the University of Rhode Island, administrative space for Brown, and room for residential, retail, food service, and other purposes.

Jewelry District alliances boost R.I.

By Christina H. Paxson
Nineteenth President of Brown University

Throughout the celebration of the 250th anniversary of Brown University over the past year, we have told the story of Brown’s past, present and future. The story of Brown is also the story of Providence and Rhode Island. Intertwined since the founding of the republic, the success of one is dependent on the success of all. That is why I am so enthusiastic about the emerging strategy we are collaboratively developing for Providence’s Jewelry District with the focused and forward-thinking leadership of Gov. Gina Raimondo and Mayor Jorge Elorza.

We are convinced that the Jewelry District, along with all of downtown Providence, represents one of the best opportunities on the East Coast for an integrated complex supporting academic research, translational science, entrepreneurship, the incubation of enterprise and activities in the realm of commerce, retail and hospitality industry development; and culture, athletics and the arts. Its success — and the positive impact for the city and the state — will be fueled by our collective commitment to public-private partnerships.

As stated in the University’s strategic plan, Building on Distinction, our vision for Brown in the Jewelry District is to be a partner in the development of a vibrant ecosystem of academics, commerce and innovation. Brown has invested more than $200 million in the Jewelry District, including the state-of-the-art Alpert Medical School education building, the School of Professional Studies, the Laboratories for Molecular Medicine, and more. Brown buildings in the Jewelry District house commercial, social and medical related enterprises, including Nabsys, G-Form, and Social Enterprise Greenhouse, among numerous others, many founded by Brown faculty and students.

Brown’s commitment to the Jewelry District — bolstered by our leadership as the founding partner of South Street Landing — represents a catalyst for further growth. Work will begin next month on a $215 million redevelopment project to transform the long-dormant station that once provided power to the capital city. In less than two years, this property will house the Rhode Island College and University of Rhode Island nursing education center, 450 Brown administrative staff, a 266-bed graduate and medical student housing complex, and a 750-space parking garage. South Street Landing will create 1,500 construction and 540 permanent jobs and more than $8 million in taxes and fees to the city. Overall, the project will yield $248 million in economic output, and more than $90 million in employee compensation.

This academic partnership places URI and RIC’s high-technology teaching and research facility across the street from the Alpert Medical School and within walking distance to major teaching hospitals, a very important benefit for Brown, the city and the state. It is a model for partnerships that can be emulated as we move forward together.

The 19 acres of I-195 land ready for development in the heart of the Jewelry District — adjacent to investments Brown and other institutions have made — represent the next great opportunity for just such a partnership. The governor and the mayor have made clear their focus on supporting development that results in new, well-paying jobs, including through the governor’s proposed $25 million fund to catalyze major real estate developments in the I-195 lands.

Brown is prepared to be a partner in seizing this opportunity. In the coming years, we will need modern facilities to support our ongoing investments in academic research and education that will spur discovery and commercialization that can cure disease and improve lives. We also need space for a larger portfolio of executive education and master’s programs that bring students to Providence from around the world. We seek to make these future investments through extended public-private partnerships in the Jewelry District — partnerships that will provide tax revenue to the city and state, and fuel job growth.

The knowledge taught and created, the businesses incubated, the products developed, the cultural institutions that arise and the potential of a multi-use athletic facility that Brown would help to activate will create an engine of economic innovation and production that will benefit the entire city and state. The opportunities are, quite simply, boundless. Brown stands ready to do its part in helping to realize this vision for Providence, Rhode Island and the world as we imagine together the next 250 years.