State signs phase-one lease<br> for Quonset Gateway

The Quonset Development Corporation last week approved changes to the proposed Gateway project, including some made in response to concerns raised by residents and advocacy groups, and entered a lease for phase one of the development.
Dyana Koelsch, a spokeswoman for developer New Boston Development Partners, said the site approval for the first portion of Quonset Gateway is “very positive” for her client.
The 450,000-square-foot first phase is slated to include a mix of retail uses – including the controversial Lowe’s Home Improvement and Kohl’s stores – plus a hotel and offices.
“It’s encouraging for New Boston,” Koelsch said. “They’re anxious to get a shovel in the ground for the spring.”
The two members of the North Kingstown Town Council who sit on the nine-person Quonset board, John Patterson and Steven Campo, cast the only two dissenting votes. Both expressed concerns about the two “big box” stores, a component that has drawn critics from the community and other developers.
While acknowledging the years-long process to develop a plan for the site and the estimated 750 jobs the Gateway will bring, Patterson said there are legitimate concerns about the development, particularly the two large stores and the impact they could have on business.
“Unlike a lot of issues, there were all kinds of views from various entities,” Patterson said.
New Boston originally submitted a plan that didn’t include substantial big-box retail, but late last year it unveiled a new proposal with the stores. Since then, the Boston firm has said that market factors call for the inclusion of the stores in order to attract people to the Gateway.
The new proposal has drawn opposition from two state senators – J. Michael Lenihan, D-East Greenwich, and James C. Sheehan, D-North Kingstown – as well as Grow Smart Rhode Island and Carpionato Properties, a Johnston-based developer that submitted a plan for the site that was rejected, and which has since called for the project to be put out to bid again.
The critics all say the New Boston proposal does not comply with the State Guide Plan or the 2003 Quonset Davisville Port and Commerce Park Master Plan.
The North Kingstown Planning Commission also said last month that the plan was “grossly inconsistent” with earlier plans for the project.
Changes made to the first phase of the development address some of the concerns expressed about the project, Koelsch said. They include a reduction of parking spaces at the Lowe’s, space for a proposed day care center to expand as Quonset’s work force grows, moving several buildings closer to Post Road, and adding more bike paths and pedestrian walkways.
Several members of the Quonset Development Corporation expressed gratitude to New Boston for its commitment to working with the board to develop the plan that is best for the site and the community.
Board member John Simpson said New Boston was initially selected because it had the financial resources and experience doing similar projects. The company also seemed to understand the needs of the community and state, he said.
“I’m awfully happy to see that they’ve followed up on the commitments they’ve made to use,” Simpson said.
Saul Kaplan, who as director R.I. Economic Development Corporation chairs the Quonset board, said that the decision last week has no bearing on the State Planning Council’s discussions on the Gateway project. The council had expressed concerns about the development and was slated to discuss the issue late last week, after PBN’s deadline.
[Editor’s note: The State Planning Council rejected the plan, saying it did not comply with the state’s master plan. The project cannot proceed without the council’s approval, but it was not immediately clear what the next step might be.]
Kaplan said the Statewide Planning Council may suggest specific modifications to the proposal that could affect the project.
“We’ll wait and see what Statewide Planning has to say, then we’ll evaluate our alternatives,” Kaplan said.

No posts to display