PROVIDENCE – A Canadian cement manufacturer has started importing its product through the Port of Providence and is seeking approval from state agencies to construct a cement-containment storage dome.
The Providence City Plan Commission this week approved a request by McInnis USA Inc. for a variance to allow a 110-foot-tall containment dome at 39 New York Ave. The ProvPort site is now home to two warehouse buildings, and a pile of loose coal.
A dimensional adjustment was required for excessive height. The current zoning allows the marine-based industrial use but restricts the height of buildings to 90 feet, according to a summary written by city project planner Choyon Manjrekar.
McInnis, based in Montreal, two years ago won city approval for a $22 million cement-import facility, to establish a U.S.-based distribution center for its product. The plan won a 12-year tax incentive agreement from the city of Providence. The facility is now operational, and the company has started shipments of cement into Providence, according to Bill Fischer, a spokesman for ProvPort.
The proposed containment dome to support the import operation is on a site that covers five lots and 20.5 acres. The applicant is requesting approval for a containment dome, made of reinforced concrete, that would hold the cement taken from ships arriving from the province of Quebec, and transferred by truck. The project also includes a new electrical-equipment building.
The dome, and an operator control building, will be built in the area generally occupied by a coal storage pile, which will remain.
In addition to the city Planning Department, the project would require approvals from the Narragansett Bay Commission, the R.I. Department of Environmental Management and the R.I. Coastal Resources Management Council.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
