E. Providence waterfront to get environmental boost
3:53 PM Fri, Mar 27, 2009 | Permalink
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EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- At a time when city officials say there is "a marked increase" in development of its waterfront, the commission overseeing the area is receiving more than $300,000 in state and federal funds for environmental improvements. The city's Special Waterfront Development District Commission gets $334,746. One hundred thousand comes from the Environmental Protection Agency's Section 319 Nonpoint Source program, which assists states and communities with water pollution prevention plans. The city will use that portion of the money for a stormwater management project at Bold Point Park, which is nearby the city's start of the East Bay Bike Path. The bulk of the $100,000 will pay for its initial design and construction and the remaining $20,000 will be used to eliminate and replace invasive phragmites with native vegetation. The other $234,746 is part of the state's projected $37.6 million of earmarked money from the federal government. The city will use the money to assist small businesses with constructing and renovating properties with a green, or environmentally friendly, building design. "These funds will enable the city to use innovative technology to improve the water quality of upper Narragansett Bay," Mayor Joseph S. Larisa Jr. said. "Companies that locate in the Waterfront District can also look forward to a healthier environment and lower energy costs." East Providence has been working to redevelop most of the city's 14-mile, 300-acre coastline -- from Kettle Point in the Providence River up the Seekonk River to the Pawtucket line -- for the last several years. The economy slowed development over the last year or so, but city Planning Director Jeanne M. Boyle, who is also the commission's executive director, said "2009 is actually shaping up to be a very prosperous and active year." Among the waterfront projects: ˆ Construction of a new Tockwotton Home is planned to begin this year. Conflicts regarding burying high-power transmission lines at the new site delayed the project's start for the last few years, but the new 148-bed facility will be adjacent to Bold Point Park. The $41 million nursing and assisted living center will replace its existing 140-year old building in the Fox Point neighborhood on the East Side of Providence. ˆ Waterfront Drive, the main north-to-south thoroughfare planned for the district, has been completed from Warren Avenue to Bold Point Park. The next section -- from Interstate 195 North to Dexter Road, is scheduled to go out to bid by the state Department of Transportation this year. ˆ The Baer Supply Co., a distributor of laminate material, plans to develop a 100,000 square feet distribution warehouse on seven acres of land on New Road off Pawtucket Avenue. It will be located next to the former Fram building that currently houses Victoria Creations, Monarch Industries and Wood Precision Products. ˆ Village on the Waterfront LLC has also entered into a cooperation agreement with Chevron to transform its former 25-acre site on Veteran's Memorial Parkway into a mixed-use community. The proposal calls for 600 residential units with supporting commercial uses. Public amenities may include a fishing pier, a spur of the East Bay Bike Path and a kayak beach. The project has been discussed and planned since 2005. 
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