RI is seeking a developer to build bus hub on Dorrance Street in Providence

Rhode Island is looking for developers interested in building a new bus hub on Dorrance Street in downtown Providence to replace the transit center in Kennedy Plaza.

In what Gov. Dan McKee called the "first step in making the proposed Dorrance Street Transit Center in Downtown Providence a reality," the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority on Thursday put out a "Request for Expressions of Interest" from prospective developers.

Responses are due by June 20 and are intended to shape the direction of a formal bidding process for the project, the latest proposed solution to the state's nearly decade-long effort to replace the Kennedy Plaza hub. That formal bidding process is slated for September.

Voters in 2014 approved $35 million to build new mass transit facilities, with the form and location of those facilities to be determines later.

The Department of Transportation under former Gov. Gina Raimondo wanted to build a bus hub and office building at the Providence train station and solicited ideas from developers, but there was little interest from the private sector.

Previously:Dorrance Street bus hub gains momentum, but riders not ready to give up on Kennedy Plaza

Dorrance Street Transit Center will replace Kennedy Plaza RIPTA bus hub

After that the DOT proposed building a series of mini-hubs, including one on Dyer Street, but transit activists panned the idea for bringing riders farther from the city center and necessitating more bus transfers.

Last year a group including downtown property owners proposed building a transit center on the corner of Dorrance and Clifford Streets that would include apartments and services along with bus berths.

"The Dorrance Street Transit Center will replace Kennedy Plaza as RIPTA’s central bus depot," a news release from McKee's office said. "The proposal envisions a mixed-use development that will include an enclosed intermodal transit center and RIPTA administrative offices, as well as an adjacent mixed-use transit-oriented development."

John Flaherty, deputy director of GrowSmart RI, which has advocated for the Dorrance Street hub, said Thursday the group is "glad to see a concept the community has largely supported move forward."

 "And we're glad to see the project being managed by RIPTA with a commitment to keep riders engaged through the design and implementation," he wrote in an email.

panderson@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @PatrickAnderso_