On East Providence’s industrial waterfront – a stretch of parcels that for decades sat derelict – the ongoing construction of East Point, a 392-unit residential development north of Interstate 195, is a welcome sight for city officials who have long sought to reclaim the coastline.
Then, there’s the completed, 48-acre Kettle Point development, which includes 62 condominiums and an additional 228 apartment units for rent where there were once empty petroleum tanks. And as Narragansett Bay and Providence River boast the cleanest water levels in more than 100 years, the city is also weaving recreational opportunities into its planning.
But as residential developments move forward, and a historically polluted landscape regains its footing, some commercial plans for the city’s waterfront remain murkier.
Among the business endeavors slated for East Providence’s waterfront, no visible change has occurred on a thin, 24-acre parcel known as the Chevron-Gulf Oil property, a former tank farm owned by Chevron until RI Waterfront Enterprises LLC purchased the site about a year ago.
The prominent piece of property, sandwiched between the East Bay Bike Path and the Providence River, was cleared of numerous oil tanks several years ago but has remained largely unchanged while development takes place in most other areas of the city waterfront.
Though Chevron was in talks with a regional developer as of at least 2019, those plans fell through, East Providence Mayor Roberto L. DaSilva says. RI Waterfront Enterprises could not be reached for comment, but DaSilva says he hasn’t seen any updated development plans for the parcel from its current owners.
“There was a plan for that land” prior to DaSilva’s mayoral term, he said, “but that plan is no longer in consideration, as far as I understand it.”
On the permitting side, the ex-Chevron property “is currently awaiting remediation” through the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, said agency spokesperson Evan LaCross.
“DEM remains in contact with the property owner regarding addressing the completion of the environmental response needs at the site to achieve regulatory compliance with the Remediation Regulations,” LaCross said.
The department will continue to work with Chevron until it completes the objectives outlined in its RIDEM-approved remediation action work plan, LaCross said, at which point it will deem the site prepared “to adequately protect human health and the environment.”
Adjacent parcels owned by RI Waterfront Enterprises, however, have seen more activity, city officials say.
South Quay, a 33-acre parcel contiguous to the ex-Chevron property, remains slated to host offshore wind turbine manufacturing development.
That development once had a $35 million state earmark but lost the funding when developers failed to secure a required match in their allotted time frame. Since that time, it has received approval for technical assistance funding from Quonset Development Corp.’s Rhode Island Ready program.
On another nearby parcel, Live Nation Marketing Inc. plans to establish a $30 million permanent concert venue. A temporary site at the adjacent, city-owned Bold Point Park has already attracted national touring acts such as Mitski, Bon Iver and Interpol over the past few years, but events are on pause as that parcel undergoes its own upgrades.
The city will complete those updates to Bold Point Park by the end of the year, DaSilva says, noting that the renovated site will feature expanded parking, an improved boat launch and new lighting.
As for the permanent concert venue, developers still need to submit site plans and receive approval from the East Providence Waterfront Commission, says Keith A. Brynes, city planning and economic development director. Live Nation has said it is aiming for a 2026 opening.
Previously, the site had gone unused since 1984, according to the city.
“These properties, some of them have been sitting abandoned, and [have been an] eyesore on the waterfront,” DaSilva said. “It’s exciting ... to see investment.”
Also along the city’s waterfront, officials last month held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Met Links, a nine-hole golf course that will be part of a larger retail and housing development known as The Met.
The 143-acre site, under development by Marshall Properties Inc., is set to include residential units, a shopping center, restaurants, a bank and child care center. Under waterfront zoning requirements, at least 10% of residential units must meet affordable housing requirements, and three of nine planned residential buildings will be set aside for seniors.
The waterfront redevelopment effort has also attracted critics.
Candace “Candy” Seel, co-director and president of Keep Metacomet Green, says her group successfully lobbied to maintain the Met Links golf course as public land, in addition to establishing a buffer zone between the course and residential areas.
But the group remains concerned about the overall Met development, Seel says.
“Our original ultimate goal was to keep it zoned as open space, and for [development] to be moved into the waterfront district,” she said.
