Watch Chris Marsella Build Solutions and a Food Hall for Providence’s Evolving City Center

Track15RI.com, MarsellaProperties.com, MarsellaDevelopment.com

Tell us about yourself, your connection to Rhode Island, and your work.

I’m originally from Warwick but my professional life is in Providence. My family has been investing in the city center for more than 50 years, from conceiving of the railroad relocation in the 1970s to realizing the Providence Performing Arts Center. That commitment to the city is in my DNA and I’ve been deeply engaged in historic preservation, tourism, and more. Marsella Properties is a property management firm managing assets across the state, and through Marsella Development, we get to go out and build, including Track 15, the food hall my family is developing at Union Station.

What’s your motivation for doing this work?

I have been fortunate to travel the world, and I still catch myself in awe of Providence and the work it took to create that renaissance over the last 40 years while ensuring the historic fabric is protected for the next 400. Downtowns have changed a lot, and while there is so much to experience in Providence, there is still a lot to be done. We need to come together and think about rising tides. If we can’t do that in this small, interwoven state of ours, no one can.

In what ways do you hope to leave an impact on the Ocean State in the coming year?

Along with opening Track 15 – a dream five years in the making for my family – I will continue to focus on how downtown Providence can evolve. We need people to move their businesses here. Growing that economic base is critical and we need to start thinking outside of the box on policies and approaches to attract businesses and talent.

What challenges do you anticipate having to overcome to achieve these goals?

While we have our fair share of vacancies in office buildings, we do have beautiful buildings ripe for conversions to residential. It’s time for our elected officials to start recognizing the importance of incentives and programs. That will be my focus in 2025 – to get the right people together to create a solution.

What’s your reason for optimism approaching 2025?

Our food hall will finally be open! It’s been a long road, but I am so proud of the work my family and our team has done. I can’t wait to open the doors and share a destination with residents and visitors that tells the history of our city and state while showcasing the future of its people.