By this time next year, RIDOT will have completed the $84MM+ realignment of the Pell Bridge ramps, freeing up for sale the surplus state-owned land. I am asking the Council to consider the appointment of half a dozen state and local experts willing to volunteer their unique expertise to advise us on how to navigate the state property disposition process and any necessary remediation and site preparation. It’s important that we are prepared to proceed when the project is complete as this land is the keystone to the North End and will be the gateway to our City.
The scale of this opportunity is massive. These twenty-five acres of state-controlled property eclipses Providence’s now booming nineteen acres where, just over a decade ago, I-195 once bifurcated the capital. Further, its location is strategically important to realizing the City’s vision for the North End, as it is sandwiched between the privately held old casino and the federally owned Navy Hospital. This combined area of developable land exceeds sixty acres, stretching from a waterfront campus to a site with stunning vistas of Narragansett Bay.
The City’s North End Urban Plan paints a fittingly ambitious vision and zoning approach for this area and is well supplemented by the North End Equitable Development Strategy’s articulation of how we ensure redevelopment serves our residents. The actual realization of these ambitions, however, requires a plan to navigate the complexities of this site, ranging from remediation of its industrial past to addressing
over $65MM in stormwater challenges to redesigning the unusual lot shapes and elevations of former bridge abutments. We have a lot of work to do.
There has been a robust discussion about whether the City should be in the business of exerting control over this land or whether it should be left to the free market. The later has given us the current pattern of development of the surrounding area. If we want something different it requires a more intentional approach than the free market will yield.
I began my career nearly two decades ago working on the public side of these types of scenarios as a member of the State Properties Committee. More recently, on the private sector side, I worked as a Managing Director in the investment division at one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the
world, CBRE and chaired the Governor’s Transition Working Group on Transportation and Infrastructure. My experience and background guide me to a clear conclusion: to get this done, Newport needs help from the best and the brightest.
This summer the Council supported the creation of an ad hoc advisory commission to identify a clear plan for how to proceed. The role of the Commission is strictly limited to the critical and highly technical job of advising the Council on the “assessment, acquisition, remediation, and site preparation” of the property associated with the bridge realignment. By no later than June 2025, the Commission will produce a Project Execution Plan, providing a map to how we might proceed to produce sites that support the development envisioned by the North End Urban Plan.
Transparency is a key feature: the Commission will do its work as public meetings, providing regular updates to the Council, and its proposed members include residents from the surrounding neighborhoods in the North End.
Over the past month, the Council interviewed an incredible pool of candidates for the Commission. I am proud to present the following for consideration by the Council at this week’s meeting. Each have impeccable credentials, including clear commitments to public service. Importantly, none of the applicants own property in the impacted area nor have plans to acquire or own such property.
I am confident this diverse and talented group will help Newport realize this once in a generation opportunity.
Jan Brodie of Pawtucket, RI. Executive Director of the Pawtucket Business Development Corporation which is spearheading Pawtucket’s redevelopment efforts and is the former Executive Director of the I 195 Commission. Jan is one of the state’s leading redevelopment experts, frequently called upon by state and local leaders for projects similar to Newport’s.
Jeffrey Diehl of Providence, RI. Former CEO of the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIB) and former Vice Chairman of HSBC. He currently serves as an External Advisor for the United Nation Development Programme’s $10 Billion Investment Committee. Under Jeff’s leadership, RIIB hired a resiliency coordinator focused on Aquidneck Island and led a study of the Navy properties on Aquidneck Island.
Tom Gibson of Newport, RI. Former Chief of Staff to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Tom has volunteered in our community extensively, serving previously on the Planning Board, Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, and more recently assisting with studies regarding the North End’s Elizabeth Brook. He served as a Lieutenant in the US Navy.
Colin Kane of Rumford, RI. Former Chairman of the I-195 Commission and Founding Partner of Peregrine Group LLC, which has made notable award winning investments in Newport. Colin served as a Flag Lieutenant in the US Navy and is a Combat Veteran of Operation Desert Storm.
Roy Lauth of Newport, RI. A career contractor to the U.S. Navy, Roy’s background spans from supporting the engineering electrical systems to facilities planning for the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. He has been an active volunteer with numerous Newport organizations including the Artillery Company of Newport.
Ellen Pinnock of Newport, RI. A seasoned organizer from the North End currently serving as the AmeriCorps Program Director at FabNewport. Ellen is a trusted convenor and collaborator with deep experience working with Newport’s North End residents.