Fed up with the pace of housing development on Aquidneck Island, some Middletown residents are pushing for the closure of Newport State Airport with an eye toward using the land to build affordable housing.
In a Feb. 5 meeting with state housing officials, the Middletown Affordable Housing Committee presented its recommendation that the airport, located on 241 acres between East Main and West Main roads in Middletown and operated by the R.I. Airport Corp., be shut down and redeveloped.
The idea received a lukewarm response from state officials at the meeting, but members of the volunteer town committee tasked with finding ways to make living in Middletown more affordable are undeterred.
“Why can’t we do it?” committee member Kim Blass said. “We want affordable housing; we want housing for our people.”
Middletown has struggled to increase its housing stock in recent years, with several proposals to build homes being rejected by the Town Council amid resident concerns over traffic and costs.
During the Feb. 5 meeting, Housing Secretary Deborah J. Goddard highlighted as an example the council’s rejection last April of a 72-unit housing development for the elderly on Green End Avenue.
And affordable housing advocates argue that airport brings in no property taxes and mostly serve the private flights of wealthy Newport visitors. Turning the property into housing would generate significant property tax revenue for Middletown, they argue.
Lawrence Frank, Middletown Affordable Housing Committee chairperson, said about 190 acres of the airport land is suitable for residential development, enough room to substantially increase the town's housing stock.
But state officials have noted that the state's five general aviation airports – which doesn’t include Rhode Island T.F Green International Airport – generate millions of dollars in annual revenue and foster tens of millions of dollars in economic output, mostly through leasing facilities, fuel sales and parking, which supports operations and local jobs.
Town-hired consultant Frank Spinella advised against the airport's closure, suggesting that the town explore underutilized, federally owned land at the nearby Navy base.
Meanwhile, Middletown Town Council President Paul Rodrigues is skeptical about the committee’s proposal. “I just don’t think the state is going to give up the airport,” he said.
R.I. Airport Corp. spokesperson William Fischer did not respond to requests for comment; however, RIAC President Iftikhar Ahmad noted the agency's recent credit rating upgrades, saying that management “is investing and modernizing while protecting affordability for passengers, airlines, and taxpayers.”
Federal officials estimate that more than 1,500 military personnel, federal employees, and their families are expected to move to Aquidneck Island by 2034 due to expansions at Naval Station Newport, largely driven by the relocation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s marine operation center and four Coast Guard vessels to the base.
Sen. Louis P. DiPalma, D-Middletown, said closing the Newport State Airport is not the right approach to easing the housing crisis, saying it would jeopardize jobs tied to the numerous businesses based at the two-runway airfield, such as FlightLevel Aviation LLC, Newport Aviation LLC and Skydive Newport LLC.
“While I applaud the committee for thinking outside the box, this is not the answer,” DiPalma said.
In addition, he said, such a proposal would likely die in the General Assembly.
Matthew Sheley, Middletown public affairs officer, said the Middletown Affordable Housing Committee’s recommendation that the airport be closed has yet to be formally presented to the Town Council. But he said the airport is crucial for local businesses and it’s an important arrival and departure point on Aquidneck Island.
“They’ve always been good neighbors,” he said. “It would be hard to imagine Middletown without the airport there.”
