Pawtucket is searching for private partners with big pockets and big ideas.
In recent years, the city has acquired several properties totaling about 20 acres in its aging downtown commercial district, including the former Apex department store building and its iconic pyramid roof, with an eye toward redeveloping land for uses that can jump-start economic development in the area.
In coordination with the Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency, city officials are now vetting four proposals the city received for its so-called “Downtown Gateway Project” in the Pawtucket Redevelopment Area established under the city’s redevelopment plan created in 1982.
As of mid-October, the city has not made the proposals public, but Robert Billington, president of the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, wants the city to “go for the gold.
“They have the chance to build a whole new city at the top of Narragansett Bay,” Billington said, referring to the downtown’s location along the Blackstone River, a major northern tributary to the bay. “It’s a real opportunity not just for Pawtucket but the entire state.”
Downtown Pawtucket is one of the first places that travelers heading south on Interstate 95 see of Rhode Island, Billington says.
“At one time [it] was one of the epicenters of industry,” he said. “We’ve got to repopulate that waterfront. It has drifted away over the past 75 years. And that can bring a whole lot of economic activity with it.”
According to public documents, companies who have expressed interest in the gateway project include DiPrete Engineering Associates Inc., Dimeo Construction Co., and the Boston-based architecture firm DREAM Collaborative LLC, which inquired about preserving the Apex building, which sits on a 9-acre parcel of mostly asphalt parking lot.
Across the street, at Broadway and Main Street, is a 1-acre parcel that was once the site of the for-profit career school The Sawyer School and the defunct George’s Games, Music and Billiards. The city has demolished the building as part of the gateway project.
Also part of the redevelopment area is a former funeral home, a former tire and service shop, and a park that slopes down to the Blackstone River.
Mayor Donald R. Grebien has called the interconnected parcels “one of our city’s most important redevelopment and economic opportunities,” complementing the riverfront Tidewater Landing and soccer stadium that is under development nearby. That project includes a planned pedestrian bridge across the Pawtucket River.
And while the request for proposals includes the option of a long-term ground lease, the city’s intention is to sell the gateway properties, said city spokesperson Grace Voll.
The city has extended the deadline to submit proposals. At one point, city leaders suggested making the land available to Hasbro Inc., the Pawtucket-based toy maker that has been looking for a new headquarters in Boston.
The next step is having the PRA’s evaluation committee, which includes members of the agency, administration, planning, and commerce departments, review and rank the proposals before a final determination is made to choose “a redevelopment partner.”
A decision “is anticipated in the coming months,” Voll said.
Proposals can consider projects incorporating anything from a single parcel to all of them.
With a new commuter rail station complete on the Pawtucket-Central Falls border and a recent rebranding as “the distilling and brewing capital of Rhode Island,” Grebien said he wants to build on the more than $150 million in public and private investments the city has made in recent years, including the $8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds dedicated to small-business support.
Micheal Pare, a director of the nonprofit ElectroMagnetic Pinball Museum and Restoration in Pawtucket, says he supports any redevelopment that is centered around recreational opportunities for families and youths.
The museum, located in the Woodlawn section of the city, has become popular with tourists who are into nostalgia and Americana, with many foreign travelers making it their last stop before heading back to Logan International Airport or Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport.
Pare, who opened the museum in 2020 with business partner Joseph Paquin, says that too often public officials and design firms are quick to focus on commercial development tailored toward young urban professionals or bland but profitable enterprises that don’t complement a city’s social or cultural cohesion.
“Please, no storage units,” he said. “They are popping up everywhere. And I think we have plenty of hotels.”
Though the RFP explicitly mentions Pawtucket’s beer brewing prowess and several new restaurants, Pare thinks it’s an opportunity to try something outside of the box.
He recalls a recent trip to Orlando, Fla., where people of every age and interest had something designed for their entertainment.
“What happened to Rocky Point?” Pare asked. “Where is our theme park? I think family entertainment would be a huge draw.”
