Nearly a year and a half after it was first unveiled, the West Side Master Plan is leading redevelopment efforts across Aquidneck Island, local development advocates say.
The plan, released in November 2005, takes into account the lack of undeveloped land and focuses on redevelopment opportunities in Middletown, Newport and Portsmouth, including ways to enhance the marine industry and create more open space.
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Overall, said Tina Dolen, executive director of the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, the document makes “probably over 100 recommendations,” so “we’re sort of chipping away at each of them as we can.”
Two key projects under way are a study of major local roads – including Burma and Stringham roads along the coastline – which likely would be crucial to provide access to future development site; and the acquisition of nearly 40 acres of currently dormant Navy land.
Keith W. Stokes, executive director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, said the Chamber is working on the latter with the R.I. Economic Development Corporation, in what would be the first major land acquisition of former Navy land in Portsmouth.
Once the site is acquired and it has undergone an environmental remediation process, it will become available to existing boat-building companies to purchase at the Chamber’s cost.
The idea is to allow the marine industry to grow, Stokes said. While the state has lost manufacturing jobs and revenue in recent years, the marine industry has remained strong and vital.
“That’s what we do well in Rhode Island,” Stokes said. “We are the sailing capital of America.”
The area will be dubbed the Melville Marina Village and will allow for a combination of marinas, related businesses and residential developments.
In addition, he said, a substantial redevelopment opportunity exists at the former Navy Hospital in Newport, which was included in the City of Newport’s plans for its North End.
The planning commission also will begin tackling possible recreation uses for the proposed Greene Lane Park/Midway Pier project in Middletown, on Narragansett Bay at the intersection of Green Lane and Burma Park.
According to Dolen, the site would serve as a hub for the Aquidneck Island Bike Path and for the blue trail, which is designed for kayaks and canoes. It also would provide the Town of Middletown’s first public access to Narragansett Bay.
The plan is contingent on whether the Navy decides to sell the parcel. But Dolen said the Town of Middletown has expressed interest in eventually owning the land, and the R.I. Department of Environmental Management has agreed to work with town leaders and the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission should the opportunity arise.
A workshop on potential public uses for the property will be held this Saturday at Gaudet Middle School in Middletown.
The area also should benefit from an effort by the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council, Stokes said.
The council announced last month that it had started developing a Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) for the western side of Aquidneck Island.
Working with the University of Rhode Island’s Coastal Resources Center, the council wants to design a plan that includes smart-growth requirements outlined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; buffers to accommodate the expected mixed-use developments that will come from the redevelopment efforts; the transfer of land from the Navy; and potential water-classification changes resulting from changes in land uses.
According to a statement from the council, the SAMP will be similar to the West Side Master Plan in that it promotes significant public access and the use of low-impact development techniques for the redevelopment opportunities.
Stokes said that the council’s plan should add some more predictability to the development process. While it won’t provide any “shortcuts” for the redevelopment efforts, it should eliminate some of the bureaucratic hurdles that projects in Rhode Island must overcome. “From a private investment standpoint, it provides you simple rules of the game,” he said.
