of the Aquidneck Island
Planning Commission.
(Brian McDonald)
Aquidneck Island may be home to three of the state’s top growth engines — the Navy, the marine trade industry and tourism — yet the island lacks the basic infrastructure to support such growth, as well as a plan to manage it.
With more than half of its 24,547 acres already developed, the three municipalities that make up Aquidneck Island — Newport, Portsmouth and Middletown — are bracing for another round of development. But this time they plan to be prepared.
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“I think that these municipalities are really starting to feel the growth pressure,” said Kelly Woodward, coordinator of the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, which represents all three municipalities. “I think for a long time these municipalities weren’t able to think island-wide. There had always been ‘my turf’ types of issues. But we are starting to see dramatic changes in the community.”
Most of the changes are focused on the west side of the island where “an underused railroad corridor, substantial industrial property and 10 miles of coastline,” present an opportunity to plan for the future and address island-wide issues.
In fact, the west side has become the focus of a collaboration between the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, the Naval Station Newport, the Newport County Chamber of Commerce, the Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program and the University of Rhode Island Coastal Resources Center/Rhode Island Sea Grant.
“This type of program is unique,” Woodward said. “We felt the best way to plan for the future of the island was do it together. And although we have a geographical boundary as defined by the west side, we are taking into consideration island-issues. Our mission is to draft a master plan for the entire area.”
And with the process still in the early stages, one thing is clear — the master plan will include some commercial development.
“From a chamber perspective there are hundreds of acres of commercial and industrial space over there with the capacity for the growth of business,” said Keith Stokes, executive director of the Newport Chamber of Commerce. “Our goal is not to further develop, but to maximize areas that are already developed, in a sense stemming sprawl.”
George W. Johnson, assistant chief of strategic planning for the Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program agreed. “The vision is a focused one,” he said. “It surrounds preserving and managing what all three municipalities currently have. It follows the comprehensive planning process of the early 1990s.”
And while there are only three “technical” municipalities on the island, Woodward said the Navy base is considered the fourth.
“The Navy is most definitely a partner with us,” she said. “They aren’t willing to commit anything yet, in terms of property because they fear being shut down.”
Woodward is reluctant to specifically define any parts of the master plan until public comment can be taken – a process that began last week.
“The reason we don’t yet have a master plan is that we don’t yet understand what the community wants,” she said. “Many of us who live on the island have a general understanding of what could come to the island, but we need community input. A lot of people have commended us for talking to them first because we are building a trust and presenting them a clean slate on which to draw.”
While the process may be open for discussion, any part if not the entire master plan will be dictated by the amount of funding the group receives. According to Stokes, the master plan process itself could come with a price tag of more than a half million dollars.
“In my opinion that is money well spent,” he said. “We could create a tremendous amount of job opportunity.”
According to Johnson, the area’s transportation infrastructure problems alone are concerns.
“We are pleased that the group has looked at transportation alternatives such as rapid transit along the rail line, an extensive bike path system and light rail,” he said. “I do think however, the state would be reluctant to make an investment in the transit system prior to knowing if the land density is going to be there.”
Stokes said there is already a “real concern that the state doesn’t recognize” what happens on Aquidneck Island.
“Our sense of urgency on the issue stems from the fact Aquidneck Island is Rhode Island’s largest island and I think that people on an off the island take that for granted,” he said.
In addition, Stokes said, it’s not a competition between economic development and quality of life.
“It’s not business versus development,” he said. “We are all on this island together. It’s about management planning.”
And already Woodward said there is a growing interest among the communities to move forward.
“People are excited right now,” she said. “The community sees this as a good opportunity, and are anxious to be a part of it.”
