Historic Preservation
24 Reasons Historic Preservation is Good for your Community
Donovan Rypkema from PlaceEconomics published this report in 2020, entitled 24 Reasons Historic Preservation is Good for your Community (opens a pdf in a new window). PlaceEconomics is helmed by Donovan Rypkema who was the guest speaker at the Friends of Historic Bristol community presentation on Feb 28, 2019, that nearly filled Saint Michael’s Church with attendees.
Historic Preservation: An Overlooked Economic Driver, A Study of the Impacts of Historic Preservation in Rhode Island 2018
The report ” Historic Preservation: An Overlooked Economic Driver” was published in March, 2018 by “Preserve Rhode Island” You can Read The Report (opens a new window), which features many facts and figures for Bristol as well as Rhode Island.
You can read the three-page Executive Summary (opens a pdf in a new window).
The Economics of Historic Preservation: A Community Leader’s Guide, by Donovan D. Rypkema, PlaceEconomics, 2014
Historic preservation has aesthetic, cultural, educational, symbolic, environmental, and even spiritual values, but lately, advocates have turned their focus to measuring its economic value. Research has demonstrated the significant economic impact of preservation on property values, job creation, tourism revenues, and downtown revitalization. And recent studies have shown historic districts to be magnets for the knowledge and creative industries, for start-up businesses, and for walkability. During the depths of the recession foreclosure rates were demonstrably less in historic districts, and the recovery came sooner and stronger.
The author is principal of PlaceEconomics. See his biography here (opens a new window).
This book is available at Amazon (opens a new window).
Studies and Reports
BRISTOL YARN MILL DENSITY REPORT - TOWN CLAIMS OF ADDITIONAL 69,431 SQ.FT. ARE NOT SUPPORTED BY CONTRACTOR’S SURVEY
According to the Fuss & O’Neill survey for Brady Sullivan, there are 227,286 sq. ft. Gross Floor Area (GFA) in the building. The “Draft Master Plan Decision for Bristol Yarn Mill 4-27 w AMT edits” increases the GFA from the Fuss & O’Neill surveyed number of 227,286 GFA to 296,717 GFA and mistakenly claims no zoning change related to density is necessary. This inflated number, 296,717 is wrong. It includes areas that are clearly unbuildable and are recognized by the developer’s engineers, Fuss & O’Neill, as bearing no contribution to the total GFA or to the number of units allowed to be built. The 26 units added into the Draft Master Plan Decision are based on an incorrect number and do not comply with Town Code.
Read the Bristol Yarn Mill Density Report HERE (opens a pdf in a new window).
FHB PROVIDES ANALYSIS OF ROBIN RUG UNIT SIZES
The Floor Plans for the proposed 151-unit Brady Sullivan Properties, LLC redevelopment of the Robin Rug Mill complex are a bit daunting. How many units are small/1 bedroom? How many are medium/2 bedroom? Any 3 bedroom apartments? FHB has analyzed all of the residential units on the first, second, third and fourth floors of the historic mill buildings -- all rental units -- which range in size from 546 to 1,929 square feet. The FHB Bristol Yarn Mill -- Robin Rug Analysis, carried out in June 2021, provides for each of the 4 residential floors:
• A summary breakdown of the units on each floor within 200 sqft ranges by number of units and as a percentage of the total units on that floor.
• A detailed inventory of all units on each floor by square footage and number of bedrooms.
Read the Robin Rug Unit Size Analysis Report HERE (opens a pdf in a new window).
Bristol Town Council Robin Rug Decision
Sites of Conscience Summit Feb 1 , 2021
On February 1, 2021, Friends of Historic Bristol held a summit that brought together leaders from the Pokanoket Tribe and Descendant Voices in Action (descendants of Bristol’s enslaved Africans) with Bristol Town Administration, Bristol Town Councilors, heads of Bristol nonprofits who interpret history, church leaders from multiple faiths, arts organizations and local historians to discuss Bristol’s “hard history” related to its treatment of enslaved black people and indigenous peoples. More than 40 people attended via ZOOM.
Read the Summit Report HERE (opens a pdf in a new window).
Business Call to Action- Held on June 10, 2019
A Business Call to Action was answered by the participation of more than 30 Bristol business owners and managers, as well as representatives of Grow Smart RI, Discover Newport, and East Bay Chamber of Commerce. Participants identified challenges to their business operation and what is needed to overcome those challenges and improve the local economy. Lively participation yielded information about what types of promotional, marketing and branding efforts would help the businesses to be more profitable and improve the overall quality of life in Bristol. There were also many suggestions regarding how the Town government and businesses could work together to improve the economy.
The Call to Action was jointly sponsored by Friends of Historic Bristol and Grow Smart RI.
Read the full report here (opens an 8pp pdf in a new window).
NonProfits Call to Action – “CONNECT” Program Rollout Held on April 6, 2019
More than 15 Bristol organizations participated in a Call to Action at the Old Statehouse on April 6. A lively brainstorming discussion brought out numerous ways that local programs could connect and communicate to help each other better meet the needs of customers.
Read the complete Call To Action Report here (opens a 6 pp pdf in a new window)
ROUNDTABLE REPORT: A Brighter Future – Finding Economic Development Solutions
2019 - A Brighter Future Roundtable Report summary of the three 2/28/2019 Roundtable discussions with some 75 local business owners, Bristol municipal leaders, non-profit organizations, religious leaders, and others, led by economic development consultant Donovan Rypkema. Participants explored what economic development consists of, how it has changed in the 21st century, and what is needed to address economic development in Bristol. FHB brought Donovan Rypkema of PlaceEconomics to Bristol as part of our on-going economic revitalization program.
Read the Roundtable Report here (opens a 20pp pdf in a new window)
VISION FOR BRISTOL
2013 - Vision for Bristol Report (42 pp) summary of the 2013 community forum exercises, led by Diana Campbell. Served as public input for the 2016 Comprehensive Plan Update.
Read the Vision for Bristol Report here (opens a pdf in a new window)
URBAN LAND INSTITUTE STUDY
2006 - “Bristol, RI – Opportunity at the Waterfront” examines options for the waterfront area and available Bristol resources with info on emerging trends in real estate and 10 principles for rebuilding neighborhood retail.
Read the Urban Land Institute Report here (opens a pdf in a new window)
SASAKI REPORT
The 1982 “Waterfront/Downtown Master Plan – Bristol, Rhode Island” – private citizens and public officials guided by Sasaki to develop a Master Plan for the Waterfront and Downtown areas.
Read the Sasaki Report here (opens a pdf in a new window)
Community Action
Associations like the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns exist in 49 states and were originally formed for the purpose of representing municipal government interests before the state legislature. This role soon expanded to include representation before the executive and state administrative agencies as well as the provision of technical assistance, information sharing, and training to assist municipal officials in fulfilling their responsibilities.
Compliance With Rhode Island’s open Meeting Act
The Rhode Island Open Meetings Act (OMA) was designed with two purposes in mind. Foremost, the statute was devised to serve as an avenue through which the citizens of the State of Rhode Island could participate, observe, and monitor the inner-workings of government. Secondarily, the OMA was formulated as a means of furthering one of the major ideals of a democratic society: openness.
Read the Rhode Island League of City and Town’s document: “Compliance with Rhode Island’s Open Meetings Act: A Guide for Town Officials”. Document opens in a new window.
Bristol Town Documents
Historic District Commission (HDC)
The HDC contact information, function, members, meetings, agendas and minutes can be found at this Bristol Town site (opens a new window).
HDC Guidelines
The HDC guidelines describe the criteria used by the HDC when evaluating a construction project appropriateness. Read the Guidelines here (opens a pdf in a new window).
Bristol Planning Board
The Planning Board contact information, members, meetings, agendas and minutes can be found at this Bristol town site (opens a new window).
Bristol Zoning Board of Review
The Zoning Board contact information, members, meetings, agendas and minutes can be found at this Bristol town site (opens a new window).
Bristol Town Council
The town council contact information, meetings, members, and procedures can be found at this Bristol town site (opens a new window).
Bristol Town Administrator
The office of the Town Administrator and contact information are described at this Bristol town site (opens a new window).
Bristol Comprehensive Plan
The Comprehensive Plan provides a vision for Bristol to guide us in making development decisions. You can read the complete Bristol Comprehensive Community Plan on the Bristol, RI website (opens a pdf document in a new window).
Videos
Roger Brooks: Economic Development presentation
On 5/10/19 the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council and Grow Smart RI sponsored a lecture by Roger Brooks, a professional economic development consultant with long development experience. Four FHB directors attended the program and breakout sessions. The presentation confirmed strategies stated by Donovan Rypkema, in his FHB sponsored presentation on Feb 28, 2019, and by Main Street America. Roger has assisted more than 2,000 communities with their downtown development, place-branding, tourism, and marketing efforts. He noted that tourist appeal influences resident’s attitudes about their town as well, and goes beyond attracting transient customers. See the Roger Brooks Slideshow here (opens a new window with 187 slides).
Historic Preservation: An Overlooked Economic Driver
On Feb 28, 2019, Donovan Rypkema, of Place Economics, gave this lecture in St. Michaels Church, Bristol RI. He discusses Economic and Historic Preservation: Lessons from Rhode Island and Main Street. The lecture was cosponsored by The Friends of Historic Bristol and Grow Smart RI.
Main Street America
MAIN STREET AMERICA™ - Main Streets in Action. This 4m video gives an introduction to the Main Street economic development philosophy, the value of “Local” and Small Business, and how the program can be used to create a plan for the future.
New Mexico MainStreet Web Extra
This 6m video shows a panel discussion which highlights the value of Historic Preservation vs. new construction, the cost comparison, the underlying value of real estate, and demographic trends.
Bristol Yarn Mill Videos - 2022
The complete collection of FHB Bristol Yarn Mill videos can be found on youtube.com in the Friends of Historic Bristol Channel Here (opens a new window). Some specific video descriptions follow.
The Bristol Planning Board hears Bristol Yarn Mill public comments (2022-04-14) in this video playlist. Each video shows a single speaker.
The Bristol Planning Board approves the Bristol Yarn Mill project (2022-05-12) in this video playlist. No public comments are allowed. There are discussions between board members and town staff, followed by a vote to approve the project. 6 videos are divided into 5 minute clips.
Bristol Zoning Board of Review denies appeal of Planning Board approval
On 2022-08-31 lawyers representing the appellants, the Planning Board, and the Developer, Brady Sullivan, presented arguments to the Zoning Board of Review. The appeal was denied.
Belvedere at Thames Videos - 2019
The complete collection of FHB Belvedere-at-Thames videos can be found on youtube.com in the Friends of Historic Bristol Channel (opens a new window). Some specific video descriptions follow.
The abutter’s appeal of the Bristol Planning Board approval of the Belvedere-at-Thames project is upheld by the Zoning Board of Review (opens a playlist in new window). There are two meetings and two videos. First the abutters make their argument to the Zoning Board of Review. Next the ZBR upholds the PB decision.
The abutter’s appeal the Bristol Historic District Commission approval of the Belvedere-at-Thames in front of the Bristol Zoning Board of Review (opens a playlist in new window). There are multiple meetings and multiple videos. First the ZBR hears the abutters argument. The ZBR finds errors in the decision and remands it back to the HDC. The HDC holds several meetings to plan and decide on the remand reply to the ZBR. The ZBR receives the reply.