By CHRIS MACHADO
NORTH KINGSTOWN – It still has two main anchor stores, but other than that plans for the proposed $144 million Gateway project have been significantly overhauled.
By CHRIS MACHADO
NORTH KINGSTOWN – It still has two main anchor stores, but other than that plans for the proposed $144 million Gateway project have been significantly overhauled.
On Tuesday, officials from the Quonset Development Corporation unveiled a revised Gateway, which they say makes better use of the valuable business park land by decreasing the emphasis on retail and increasing the use of office space.
The need to change portions of the 72-acre project came after the Town of North Kingstown and more notably, the Statewide Planning Commission voiced serious concerns with the plan.
In March, the commission resoundingly voted against the Gateway, essentially saying the proposal did not comply with the State Guide Plan, Quonset’s Master Plan or the North Kingstown Comprehensive Plan.
Its biggest concern was the focus on retail and the amount of parking that would be prominent at the site.
In the new plans, parking lots, which were far more prominent in the original proposal, will now be situated behind buildings.
In a telephone interview Tuesday, Quonset Development Corporation Chief Operating Officer Steve King noted that some of the biggest changes were the view from Post Road and the addition of second-story offices to what were originally one-story retail spaces.
With those additions, the amount of office space will rise from 32 percent of the total project in the original proposal to 41 percent, or from 231,000 square feet to 392,000.
Subsequently, the amount of retail space has dropped dramatically. King said this would offer “a more diverse economic use” for the park.
Also, with the focus being directed more towards the office end, jobs are expected to grow by about 400.
Whereas the original proposal called for roughly 1,775 jobs to be gained by the Gateway, QDC officials believe the new plan will create more than 2,100.
“This provides a great opportunity to attract new business and better jobs to Quonset,” King said.
He also said that the overall architecture of the plan and the moving of Gate Road shops closer to the road gave the project more of a “New England feel.”
“This is more like North Kingstown than the previous plan,” King said.
Along with the aforesaid modifications, King noted that there is a greater focus on walking paths, parks and other forms of recreation.
The most notable recreational addition is a 90,000-foot sports complex, which was originally going to be built near the town’s golf course. In addition, six RIPTA stops have sprinkled throughout the plan.
Although the project has seen its share of criticism, King believes this new plan is proof that the process the QDC has to go through worked.
“We’ve been working hard to respond to the concerns and we came forward with a much better project,” he said.
North Kingstown Town Manager Michael Embury agreed. “This is a 180-degree difference from the first one,” he said. “I think this is what a lot of people had hoped this would look like.”
King said if all goes according to plan, construction on the project could begin this fall.
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