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September 20, 2007

Quonset Gateway approved

A revised proposal to develop a gateway to the Quonset Business Park was approved this morning by the Statewide Planning Commission. The previous version of the plan to be submitted was rejected 11 to 1 by the commission less than six months ago.

The new design substantially increases the amount of office space and attempts to shield visitors from the retail outlets that have provoked the most pointed criticism.

Those shops -- a 117,000-square-foot Lowe's and an 89,000-square-foot Kohl's -- were not excised from the project, despite protests from North Kingstown officials and objections from state planners.

The new plan was endorsed by Governor Carcieri, the Quonset Development Board of Directors and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.

The 73-acre Quonset Gateway will host office space, retail space and a 160-room Hilton Hampton Inn hotel. Non-retail space and a community meeting space and fitness and recreation center – a suggestion put forth by high school students during the planning phase -- are new additions to the plan.

In addition to criticizing the large retail outlets, state planners had also objected to what they described as a lack of density on the property.

A State Planning Council review found that 40 percent of the site had been reserved for roadways and surface parking. Of the 1,700 projected new jobs, more than half were to be in the retail and hospitality sectors and offer relatively low wages.

Now, parking lots will be shifted behind buildings, creating more of a village atmosphere, according to Steven J. King, chief operating officer for the QDC.

"The whole feel of it has changed," North Kingstown Town Manager Michael E. Embury said. "We look at it as a 180-degree different proposal.”

In a statement, Carcieri said he believed the Gateway would lead to job growth and an improved local economy. “We can be proud of our vision for development at Quonset,” he said, “and for the hard work we have put into substantially revising the project over the last several months.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly reported the size of the Lowe's store, giving a larger figure that also included storage and garden space.

Posted by Brandie Jefferson  at 1:16 PM | Permalink

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janet | September 20, 2007 2:08 PM link

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