In the area of redevelopment, Keith W. Stokes says, Newport has been at a disadvantage for years.
Other Rhode Island communities, such as Providence and Coventry, have been able to redevelop old mill complexes or build on new lands. Newport, with its largely historic residential infrastructure, has not had the same luck, Stokes, the Newport County Chamber of Commerce executive director believes.
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But now the city is getting serious about developing what Stokes calls its “last frontier,” giving it a real chance to grow.
The first step is the completion of a draft of a master plan for the North End of Newport, which is being prepared by New York-based planning consultant Parsons Brinckerhoff.
While the area has seen some rejuvenation, with the 2005 opening of a new Community College of Rhode Island campus, officials still see the possibility of more revitalization.
In the master plan, the Parsons Brinckerhoff consultants will be addressing sites including a Department of Public Works site, the site of the U.S. Navy Hospital and a R.I. Department of Transportation parcel.
In reality, according to Newport Planning Director Paige Bronk, the effort to redevelop the North End of the city has been going on since the 1990s, when federal funding helped pay for affordable housing in the area. Going forward, Bronk said the city wants to develop an overarching vision for the region that is sensitive to each parcel in the area, while leaving the specific development projects to the vision of developers.
“We’re hoping to allow for some flexibility so that future developers can bring some of their own creativity to the table as well,” he said.
Alan Hodges, project manager for Parsons Brinckerhoff, said several ideas have been floated, including the addition of shopping, entertainment and convention space.
According to market surveys done by the company, there is a demand for upscale shopping within the region, Hodges said. That could come in the form of a mixed-use “lifestyle center,” he said. There is also the need to brand Newport as a year-round destination, he said. That could involve entertainment, such as an indoor recreation facility and an indoor water park.
There have also been discussions about a convention space for the region. The facility, which could hold more than 1,000 guests, would help Newport extend its season. But Hodges said the issue needs to be examined further because convention centers are often hard to finance and to keep booked once they’re open.
The city has no predetermined notion of what kind of development it wants in the area, Bronk said – except that it wants to use the area to attract good-paying jobs and expand the city’s tax base.
One of the main problems with attracting development to the area has been transportation, Bronk said. The only road connection between the northern and southern portions of Newport is Broadway, which only travels to the eastern portion of the North End. Plans are currently under way to extend the JT Connell Highway to increase connectivity.
But one of major portions of the revitalization of the area hinges on plans to relocate the ramps of the Pell Bridge connecting the city to Jamestown. There has been talk of reconfiguring the highway in a manner that could open up nearly 20 acres of land near the bridge for development. The possibility of opening new land for development is attracting national developers to the site, Stokes said.
The Newport Chamber’s goal, he said, is to see the area redeveloped in a way that extends the season in Newport from the summer months to a year-round destination.
Also, with Newport’s economy largely revolving around the U.S. Navy presence and the hospitality industry, Stokes said, projects drawing off either one would be a boon to the region.
But mainly, Stokes said, the Chamber is looking for development in the North End that is “compatible, not competitive” with the southern, largely commercial portion of the city that has attracted visitors for decades.
“You can’t duplicate downtown, and no one is looking to do that,” Stokes said. “I think the goal is sustain throughout the year and not just concentrate on the summer months.”
