The developer of Bellevue Gardens Shopping Center, a key retail property in the heart of Newport, will present plans to redevelop the site as a mixed-use commercial and residential project at an informational meeting this week.
The meeting represents a second attempt by Bliss Properties Inc. to redevelop the property. An early version of the project was rejected last year by Newport’s Historic District Commission, which cited problems with the development’s size.
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In an interview, Bliss Properties President Aram Garabedian said the revised plans include about 40 condominium units on two levels, down from three levels in an earlier design. The project is expected to cost between $40 million and $60 million.
Bellevue Gardens was built in 1957 and was once anchored by an Almacs grocery store. Today, the biggest tenant is CVS/pharmacy, which has expanded in recent years to occupy 16,000 square feet. However, another 32,000 square feet of space remains vacant, Garabedian said.
Bliss Properties manages the shopping center on behalf of Bellevue Gardens Shopping Center Associates, a partnership that includes Garabedian.
At Wednesday’s meeting, co-hosted by the Newport County Chamber of Commerce at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, across the street from the center, Garabedian, the architects and others involved in the project will display site plans and answer questions.
Garabedian said he hopes the revised plans will be deemed to fit better with the historic nature of the area. Aside from scaling down the condominium part of the project, Garabedian said, the revisions include changes to a roof design with glass and landscaping issues that the Historic District Commission had brought up.
The key, Garabedian said, is to balance the redevelopment of the property with other interests in the area.
Keith Stokes, president of the Newport Chamber, said redeveloping property in Newport is a challenge that many developers walk away from. The historic nature of the area is more present in the city than in other communities such as Philadelphia or New York City, he said, and there is little land to redevelop.
In Garabedian’s case, he is surrounded by an historic mansion, the Tennis Hall of Fame and Colonial homes.
“When you’re talking about introducing new structures or redeveloping existing property, there’s a great chance that you’re going to be building abutting existing, historic properties,” Stokes said. “You’re going to be held to a higher standard regarding your design, your landscaping and your impact on your immediate historic environment.”
Paige Bronk, the Newport city planner, said the city has monitored the process closely and views it as a potential boon to the area. However, Bronk said, the city has no definitive ideas as to what the project should look like. The review process – which will start with the Planning Board this time instead of the Historic District Commission, which it did last time – will help determine the appropriate design.
“What’s important to the city is that the final development plan blends in with the neighborhood and … that it complies with the goals of the comprehensive plan and zoning ordinances,” Bronk said. Stokes, who approached Garabedian with the idea for turning the shopping center into a mixed-use project, said Bellevue Gardens represents a chance for the city to spur development and introduce a new type of project. If the village-like design stalls in the municipal process, Stokes said, Garabedian would likely have no option other than to lease the property to larger, national retailers.
The project is being monitored by developers with interest in other parts of Newport, Stokes said, who are awaiting the results before they move forward on their properties.
“If this is successful, there may be opportunities for other very significant properties to take a similar approach,” Stokes said.
For more information about Wednesday’s meeting, call the Newport Chamber at 847-1608 or e-mail sara@newportchamber.com.
