Acquired by Urban Smart Growth in 2005, Hope Artiste Village arose from the deserted remains of the former Hope Webbing Company, a mill complex erected between 1890 and 1930 as the largest mill of its type in the world, some 650,000 square feet (approximately 14 acres) spread throughout six interconnected buildings. Threatened with demolition for the erection of a big box retail store adjacent to I95, just 4 miles North of downtown Providence, in Pawtucket Rhode Island, Urban Smart Growth saw a unique opportunity to acquire the complex at a substantial discount to intrinsic value. In the intervening three years since acquisition, Urban Smart Growth working in conjunction with a highly skilled team of contractors, engineers and architects, invested in a complex-wide, multi-million dollar redevelopment, creating a literal village offering small scale artisan manufacturing space, incubator office space, artistic and individualist retail space, live/work studios, bar/restaurants and music venues. Urban Smart Growth’s intricate knowledge of the local marketplace allowed for the creation of a highly aggressive marketing campaign to attract a diverse and creative tenant base which was unmet by any other product offerings in the market. The result has attracted a tenant roster, which includes Seven Stars (bakery), New Harvest (coffee roaster), Jen’s Pilates Studio, as well as the new outpost of the local Farmers Market, which among others has earned Urban Smart Growth numerous awards and accolades.

Urban Smart Growth is currently evaluating the redevelopment of the last remaining portion of the Village into 135 residential units, which would truly create the ultimate live/work/play environment.