PAWTUCKET – After years of clashing local concerns and state financial support, an upcoming "last mile" distribution facility has broken ground in Pawtucket.
The 160,000-square-foot facility, known as the Blackstone Distribution Center, is under construction at 1 Moshassuck St., about 3 miles north of downtown Providence. Developer JK Equities LLC anticipates "substantial completion by August 2026."
Chicago-based commercial real estate agency JLL, which represents JK Equities, announced the update on June 25, referring to the upcoming site as "Rhode Island’s first urban speculative industrial development" – a project established without a committed tenant or leaseholder.
Once completed, the site will feature up to 28 trailer stalls, 25 loading docks, more than 100 parking spaces, 32-foot clear heights and motion-detected LED lighting, JLL stated, describing the facility as "ideal for distribution, manufacturing or e-commerce operations needing strategic access to I-95, Boston and the greater Northeast region."
The building is available to users seeking a minimum of 50,000 square feet and up to the facility's entire 160,000 square feet of space.
Prior occupant Microfibres Inc. went out of business in 2016, and the property had previously sat vacant since that time.
The project has stirred controversy in the past, receiving financial backing and praise from state economic agencies but raising concern among neighbors.
To the south, the Providence Streets Coalition has spoken out against the distribution center, stating that it will significantly increase truck traffic on North Main Street to the detriment of pedestrian and cyclist safety, in addition to increasing air pollution in surrounding neighborhoods.
And in Pawtucket's District 5 neighborhood, where the center is being constructed, residents and City Councilor Clovis C. Gregor opposed the developer's plans to purchase and rezone an existing athletic field, Morley Field, a protected public green space.
Under this National Park Service designation, Pawtucket is required to replace the field with a recreational area of at least the same size in the same neighborhood. With the purchase, JK Equities is responsible for the removal of “volatile organic compounds” found within the field in 2022.
In a compromise reached with Pawtucket officials later in 2022, New York-based JK Equities agreed to spare portions of the field and pledged $1.5 million to fund the purchase of a new park. A JLL spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry on the status of this process. Gregor, the neighborhood's City Council representative, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Amid local controversy, R.I. Commerce Corp. meanwhile commended the project as an economic driver for Pawtucket and the state. In December 2020, the agency granted JK Equities a $3.5 million tax credit through its Rebuild Rhode Island Program.
The distribution center also received approval from the Rhode Island Ready program, a $40 million industrial development initiative overseen by the quasi-public agency Quonset Development Corp. Projects accepted into this program receive up to $200,000 in technical assistance, with the opportunity to apply for larger grants later.
Pawtucket officials said they expect the distribution center to bring at least 100 jobs to the city.
"With this development, we’re proud to bring forward a new era of industrial opportunity to Pawtucket," said Jerry Karlik, principal at JK Equities. "Blackstone Distribution Center is designed for modern logistics, distribution and manufacturing tenants – companies that require efficient, scalable space with proximity to labor and regional access.
"It’s a strategic investment in both the city’s economic future and the evolving needs of today’s industrial users," Karlik continued in a statement.
JLL Senior Managing Director Michael Ciummei described the project as "setting a new benchmark for urban industrial space in Rhode Island" with a goal of "delivering institutional-grade, logistics-ready product in dense, well-connected urban environments."
The project team also includes general contractor New England Construction, architect CI Design and civil engineer DiPrete Engineering.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
