EAST PROVIDENCE — At its meeting Tuesday night, May 7, the East Providence Waterfront Commission voted to approve the proposed Kettle Point residential development project.
The property was recently put under agreement by Churchill & Banks, LTD with the site owner, the BP Corporation. Originally used as farmland, the site was sold to Arco and Amoco in the early 20th century for the construction of oil storage tanks. The 40-acre site will be completely remediated of any toxic or hazardous materials.
The project will have a total of 407 residential units: 276 for-rent apartment units and 131 for-sale residences that will be a mixture of park-under townhouses, one-level condos, duplex units and single-family dwellings. There will be parking provided for the public to access the East Bay Bike Path, public open space, and direct access to the waterfront.
Upon further regulatory approval, East Providence Planning Director Jeanne Boyle said developers “are hoping to start construction in the fall” of this year.
The project needs permits from State agencies: transportation, environmental management, and the Coastal Resources Management Council. The City Planning Board must also hold a public hearing for a proposed new roadway to be constructed. Developers are also seeking tax-increment financing for public roads, water and sewers for the development from the City Council.
Ms. Boyle said nearly 800 new construction jobs are expected to be created as part of the project and the city could see an increase of taxes on the property from $20,000-plus to some $700,000 annually.
Winchester development
The Winchester Park and Winchester Wood apartment complex located off Pawtucket Avenue have a new owner with the recent announcement Gaia Real Estate of New York City had purchased the 478-units for approximately $55 million.
Equity Residential of Chicago sold the property, which also includes some 20 acres adjacent to the complex on Village Green North.
Winchester Park, built between 1971 and 1974, has 416 units in 63 buildings. Winchester Wood, built in 1985, had 16 buildings with 62 apartments. The complex also includes 79 two- and three-story garden-style and townhouse-style buildings and one single-story clubhouse building.
Zoning notes
East Providence Zoning Board Chairman Gene Saveory reported his committee has approved a request for a nursing home to return to a building that previous housed the same business on Willett Avenue next to the Watson Funeral Home as well as the sale to a religious organization of the a former school building located behind the Columbus Credit Union off Willett last utilized by the Catholic Diocese of Rhode Island for seminary students.