It’s too soon to predict the pandemic’s long-term effects on development across the state and region, but the early signs in East Providence are encouraging.
The city has been working to redevelop what once was industrial waterfront property for nearly two decades. The Great Recession in 2008 stalled some early progress but, as this week’s cover story reports, COVID-19 has not put a damper on interest in construction and factory-rehabilitation projects along the city’s waterfront.
One key reason is the city not only has the available property but also permitting designed to speed development along the Providence and Seekonk rivers.
And city officials have the successful redevelopment of a former petroleum tank farm into a 48-acre, mixed-use development called Kettle Point. They can use it to show developers with the finances to ride out economic downturns what’s possible.
But while city leaders appear committed to using East Providence’s ample waterfront assets to revitalize the community, not all residents want that.
The taxable value of the Kettle Point property has risen from $2.2 million when it was a brownfield to more than $60 million, but the project has rankled some neighbors. Now a fight is unfolding over plans to redevelop a part of Metacomet Golf Club for commercial and residential use.
Neighbors of all major development projects deserve to be heard. But momentum for redevelopment along East Providence’s waterfront is only growing, to the point where even a pandemic might slow but not be able to stop it.