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Navy to announce disposal of Aquidneck Island land

5:01 PM Tue, Mar 24, 2009 | Permalink
Richard Salit

Providence Journal photo / Frieda Squires
Tina Dolen, executive director of the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission heads a tour of Navy properties.

With the U.S. Navy poised to dispose of nearly 400 acres of prime real estate -- much of it on, or with views of, Narragansett Bay -- the officials boarded the bus to get a close at look the parcels and to hear what their future may hold.

As envisioned by community and regional planners, the sale of the seven tracts of Navy land will create a remarkable opportunity to give the western shore an extreme makeover by stimulating economic development, improving transportation, preserving open space and expanding recreation.

The visions include a bike path, nature trails, a waterfront park with a fishing pier, windmills, a mixed-use commercial/residential development near the Claiborne Pell Bridge and an expansion of marine-related businesses at Melville. The visions also include promoting intermodal transportation through better access to the Newport Secondary rail line and an alternative north-south automobile corridor to help relieve traffic congestion on the western side of the island.

"The development of the West Side is about balance," said tour guide Tina Dolen, executive director of the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, which organized the trip. Thanks to years of preparation and the continuing partnership between local, state and federal officials, "We can come away with an award-winning design for the West Side."

Dolen's agency has long been preparing for the disposal of the Navy properties. One of its major tasks was creating a master plan for the area, which was completed about three years ago. Now all of that planning is getting closer to reality. Dolen said that within the next 60 days, the Navy will give formal notice of its intent to dispose of about 375 of the 1,397 acres it owns on Aquidneck Island.