PROVIDENCE – A $600,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration will be used to transform the vacant American Tourister property at 70 Houghton St. into a business cluster.
The cluster is expected to help create 360 jobs and generate $25 million in private investment, according to a news release issued Tuesday from U.S. Sens. Jack F. Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse and Reps. James R. Langevin and David N. Cicilline.
The city of Providence was awarded the grant, but city officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The grant will fund road, sewer and lighting improvements to help make the property, which burned down in 2000, attractive for private investment.
Once improvements are underway, the Providence Redevelopment Agency, which owns the property, will issue a request for proposals to pursue partners.
The release states that Providence officials are working to identify potential tenants in high-growth sectors of the economy, such as food and biotechnology, that are aligned with the city’s strengths.
Past federal investments at the site include $600,000 in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Brownfields Cleanup grants that were used to remediate the property. The city also designated $300,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding as part of its match for the project, the release said.
Lori Stabile is the PBN Web Editor.
