No matter what Joan and Tony Assante want to do, they usually don’t have to go far to get it done.
Grocery shopping? There’s a Shaw’s Supermarket a few hundred feet from their front door. When they need a dose of caffeine, a Starbucks is even closer. And at night, upscale Italian steakhouse Circe Prime is a minute-long stroll away, and the staff knows the Assantes by name.
“We have everything around us,” said Joan Assante, 78. “Everything I need personally is right here.”
Here is Chapel View, the development in the Garden City section of Cranston that features housing, entertainment, retail, office space and dining options, all within walking distance – one of Rhode Island’s examples of what some in the real estate industry call “live-work-play” communities.
It’s an early example but certainly not the only one, and there are more in the works as developers respond to the need for more housing and the post-COVID-19 pandemic lifestyle shifts in which people are looking for shorter commutes, better work-life balance and places that combine daily needs to shop, socialize and relax.
Farhad Atash, professor of planning at the University of Rhode Island, says mixed-use developments are particularly popular with younger generations that prefer not to drive a lot.
“Mixed-use developments are good because they encourage social interaction and give you a great sense of place,” Atash said. “You belong to the community at large because you are seeing the people more often.”
Nationally, live-work-play developments have been on the rise.
In 2012, Yardi Matrix data, as reported by online rental-housing platform Rent Cafe, showed that 10,000 apartments were completed in live-work-play developments, about 6% of all new housing units nationwide. By 2020, the number of units being constructed in mixed-use developments had grown to 49,100, accounting for 13% of all new units.
Issa Ramaji, director of the Cummings Institute for Real Estate at Roger Williams University, says these types of developments make it easier for consumers to do everything they need to in one place, eliminating the need for long drives for everyday errands. In the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns and flexible work, walkability and local convenience became more desirable.
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IN THE MIX:
The buildings at Chapel View in Cranston contain condominiums, offices, retail and restaurants, a variety that observers say can protect developers of such live-work-play projects against a downturn in one segment of the real estate sector.
PBN PHOTO/
WILLIAM HAMILTON[/caption]
The live-work-play concept is based on the European model, where in large European cities, people do not spend much time at home and dine out more often, according to Ramaji. At the same time, such developments offer better risk management for developers because of diversified revenue streams and higher occupancy and retention rates, he says.
Local examples abound. The 150-acre South County Commons along Route 1 in South Kingstown bills itself as a lifestyle and entertainment hub, offering restaurants, retailers, professional offices, hotels, apartments, condos and an eight-screen cinema. First opened in 2003, it has a commercial corridor designed to mimic a village Main Street.
In East Providence, the 280,000-square-foot Rumford Center highlights its “live, dine, work, unwind” amenities: 193 apartments, a gym, dentist office, hair salon, Seven Stars Bakery, HealthSource RI, Avenue N restaurant, and the local foods market, The Pantry at Avenue N.
It encompasses 11 buildings on the former Rumford Baking Powder property. Ten of the buildings are original to the site and historical, originally constructed from 1855 to 1931; one was newly built.
Colin Kane, principal of Rumford Portfolio Management LLC, says his company bought the property in 2007 and began developing it two years later. The complex was completed in 2016. Because the renovations preserved the historical nature of the property, the project received federal historic tax credits and contributing state tax credits. The development also houses Peregrine Group Real Estate Advisory and Peregrine Property Management LLC, both co-founded by Kane.
In downtown Providence, the Arcade – first constructed in 1828 as an indoor shopping center – is a mixed-used redevelopment on a tiny scale, with commercial spaces on the ground floor and 48 microlofts on the second and third floor.
Across the street, Joseph R. Paolino Jr., managing partner of Paolino Properties LLC, says he’s borrowing aspects of the live-work-play concept to add to the desirability of the 100 Westminster St. property in Providence in the post-COVID-19-pandemic doldrums in the office space market.
A new fitness center featuring a pickleball court is expected to open in early February. The facility will be for office tenants and guests of the adjacent boutique hotel, The Beatrice, also owned by Paolino. Hope & Main, which has grab-and-go items and a cafe serving breakfast and lunch, is at 100 Westminster, along with tenants, including law and financial firms. Paolino said he wanted to bring in a mix of tenants instead of relying on one large tenant for the space.
“I had to think outside the box,” Paolino said.
‘WORLD OF YOUR OWN’
Constructing a live-work-play development is not without its challenges.
Zoning and building regulations are often created with a single use in mind and can pose obstacles for developers pursuing projects that combine retail, residential and office space.
For years, Marshall Properties Inc. has been trying to gain approval for a 138-acre mixed-use development of the site of the former Metacomet Country Club in East Providence.
Plans call for 845 apartments in duplexes and townhouses – 10% of them designated as affordable housing – supermarket, coffee shop, child care center, bank and restaurant. Other features include an amphitheater and an area for food trucks. A nine-hole golf course has opened on the property, preserving seven of the original greens of the country club.
But the proposal has received pushback from a neighborhood group that wants more open space. And, because the project is near the banks of the Providence River, both the city’s waterfront commission and state agencies have to give their approvals.
Chapel View first took shape in 2005, built at the site of the former boys’ state training school. The historic site dated back to 1891 and the original stonework was preserved in the reconstruction. The stonework can also be found at Circe Prime, which is located in a building that served as Sockanosset School for Boys chapel and its infirmary.
Krystal Carcieri Carnes, director of marketing and design for the Carpionato Group LLC, says the company’s late founder, Alfred Carpionato, was from Cranston and saw the property’s potential when he purchased the abandoned and boarded-up site.
Carpionato envisioned the site as “the heartbeat of Rhode Island,” a place where people could walk from place to place in an open-air environment, Carnes said. “He came in and gave it new life.”
The Assantes bought the first condominium in the Chapel View development 17 years ago, downsizing from a home in North Providence. Their unit is 1,400 square feet, one level with two bedrooms, two baths and cathedral ceilings. They say they feel insulated from the traffic constantly flowing by on busy Route 2 and Sockanosset Cross Road, and the bustling retail and office complex around them.
“What’s great about it is that it doesn’t matter how busy it is out there,” said Tony Assante, 79. “You feel like you’re in a world of your own.”
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EARLY ARRIVER: Cesarina Hanson, owner of Bling Eyewear LLC at Chapel View, was one of the original retail tenants in 2012.
PBN PHOTO/MICHEAL SALERNO[/caption]
The residents and its location at a major crossroads also make it attractive to commercial tenants. New to Chapel View this year will be Applebee’s Restaurants LLC, which is relocating from Garden City; Cava Group Inc., a fast-casual Mediterranean chain; Nothing Bundt Cakes; Ugly Dumpling, a Shanghai street-style food eatery; and Wonder Group Inc., a virtual food hall concept.
At this point, Chapel View has 11 restaurants and quick-service eateries, 14 condos, 22 offices and 26 retail stores over 383,600 square feet of space in six buildings.
According to Joseph Pierik, vice president of retail leasing and acquisitions for the Carpionato Group, once space becomes available at Chapel View, they typically have multiple prospective tenants interested.
“It’s an easy sell to people,” Pierik said. “There are not a lot of properties like it in the West Bay. It’s rather unique and when something becomes available, we get a lot of interest. We get to be selective about the tenants we bring to Cranston.”
Cesarina Hanson, owner of Bling Eyewear LLC at Chapel View, was one of the original tenants when her business set up shop in 2012.
Chapel View appealed to her because it was a secure location, a brand-new building and she could design her 3,000-square-foot space. “We are tucked away, but it’s a community, like an enclosed community where everyone is there. It’s like going to a little town in Europe,” Hanson said. “It looks like a little shopping center in Europe.”
CENTRE PIECES
Warwick has been working for years to replicate its own version of a live-work-play community, but on a much larger scale.
City Centre Warwick comprises more than 100 acres surrounding Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport and the InterLink intermodal commuter rail station, and features direct access to Interstate 95.
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STILL IN PROGRESS: The city of Warwick has been slowly working to develop City Centre Warwick (in red), adjacent to the Rhode Island International T.F. Green Airport. Officials envision a walkable area with hundreds of apartments, stores and restaurants and easy access to the airport and public transit.
COURTESY CITY OF WARWICK[/caption]
To encourage development, the Warwick City Council amended its zoning ordinance to streamline permitting and allow mixed-use development and “by right” land uses. Height allowances were increased to the highest allowed in the city at 75 feet and parking requirements were reduced by 25% to encourage development, according to developers.
The Raddison Hotel is being remodeled, and the 202-room Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott is being renovated and rebranded and the Hilton Garden Inn has been sold. Proclamation Ale Co. has called City Centre home for years.
Thomas J. Kravitz, Warwick planning director, and Daniel T. Geagan, deputy planning director, say the goal was to make City Centre pedestrian-friendly and encourage development in the area to support the commuter rail and airport. The master plan envisioned City Centre to have at least 50% housing.
Close to 1,000 new apartments have either been built or are in the process of being built as part of the project.
Alta Altitude, created by Wood Partners of Massachusetts, opened 214 luxury apartments at 2119 Post Road in 2025, a little more than a quarter mile from the airport and the commuter rail station.
Another 297 units and a large restaurant are anticipated to start construction soon on Jefferson Boulevard, directly across from the entrance to the rail station. The property is part of the old Elizabeth Mill and sits on a 4.5-acre lot.
Still in the planning process are plans for 177 units at 1880 Post Road, the site of the former Valle’s Steak House. Plans call for two buildings.
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WHAT’S IN STORE: Some of the buildings in the Chapel View development are constructed to give off a village vibe.
PBN PHOTO/WILLIAM HAMILTON[/caption]
The former Sheraton hotel is being converted to 192 units that are being billed as workforce housing – the R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp. committed nearly $3 million to the project, according to Kravitz and Geagan. Called Presley Apartments, the project will offer studio and one-bedroom units. It will be a mixed-use property and will feature Pat’s Italian restaurant.
In addition, 78 apartment units were constructed last year at Kilvert and Graystone streets; they are walkable to the rail station.
“One of the nice things here is that we have a mix of housing choices. Sheraton will be more affordable than Alta Altitude,” Geagan said, adding that the apartment choices will support different income levels.
“If you look at the state as a whole and the inventory of housing … it doesn’t hurt to provide more housing,” Kravitz said.
Back at Chapel View, the Assantes say there are no disadvantages to living there. Their positive experience epitomizes the idea behind “live-work-play” developments. They don’t have to drive long distances for groceries and only use their car to go to Shaw’s if it’s raining; otherwise, they walk. They also describe it as a close-knit group.
“It’s a perfect place to live,” Joan Assante said.
