R.I. Attorney General to expand into new building in Cranston

The rendering provided by Vision 3 Architects shows the exterior of the new customer service center under construction./VISION 3 ARCHITECTS.
The rendering provided by Vision 3 Architects shows the exterior of the new customer service center under construction. / COURTESY VISION 3 ARCHITECTS.

CRANSTON – The R.I. Attorney General’s Office is expanding into a new building under construction at the John O. Pastore Center, with the intention of relieving consumer crowding and congested parking at its downtown Providence headquarters.

The Customer Service Center under construction at 4 Howard Ave. in Cranston will be 26,700-square-feet. The building will contain offices for the Bureau of Criminal Identification, the Consumer Protection Unit and the Adult Diversion Unit, according to a message from Attorney General spokeswoman Amy Kempe.

It also will include floating offices for attorneys.

The new structure, expected to cost between $10 million and $13 million, will be financed with settlement funds distributed to the state by Google, which several years ago settled a lawsuit concerning pharmaceutical sales, Kempe explained. The forfeited funds will cover both the construction costs and ongoing operations at the center, she said.

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In all, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office received about $60 million from that settlement.

The new building will complement, but not replace, offices maintained by the Attorney General at 150 and 180 S. Main St. in Providence.

The architect is Vision 3 Architects, of Providence. The general contractor is Bacon Construction Co.

Site preparation has begun and the new building is scheduled to open next spring, Kempe said.

Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN.

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