Planning & Development
70 Acres of Land for the Old Police Station? Take It.
Paolino Properties is offering 70 acres of undeveloped land on the west side of Cranston, close to Curran State Park, in exchange for the old police station on Atwood Avenue.
If you apply the rudimentary math I used in Planning Myth #1: Open Space Costs Money, the city could earn back the value of the police station in 3-4 years. To do the math, consider that the land could accommodate 27 units with 4.5 beds each. That’s a significant influx of students into the school system – not to mention the additional strain on city services and support that the new residences would incur. Every year that the property remains open space equals $700,000 of savings. Add to this the redevelopment and eventual tax revenue from the old police station and the city comes away with what amounts to a generous gift of land to protect from the encroaching sprawl on the west side.
After all, Cranston is truly on the front lines when it comes to the clash between sprawl and the dwindling farmlands and tracts of forest in the state. Unless we take action now, those rural lands that make the state so attractive will disappear.
This deal is very favorable for the city, and has the support of many groups, including Save Cranston’s Open Space, the Cranston Conservation Commission, and the West Bay Land Trust. And some council members, including Emilio Navarro, have indicated support for the deal. An opportunity like this doesn’t come along very often.
I urge you to contact your local council people in support of the land swap. If I had a council person, I would. But being a deer head, I don’t.
Councilman Anthony J. Lupino
Council City-Wide
Phone: 944-9856
E-mail: TLUPINO@cox.net
Councilman Aram G. Garabedian
City Council President
Phone: 641-5855
E-mail: aram@blissproperties.net
Councilman Emilio L. Navarro
Council Ward 2
Phone: 781-9866
E-mail: navarro_emilio@hotmail.com
Councilman Jeffrey P. Barone
Council Ward 6
Phone: 463-3305
E-mail: jeffreyb22@cox.net
Councilman John E. Lanni, Jr.
Council City-Wide
Phone: 946-7373
Councilwoman Maria Bucci
Council Ward 4
Fax: (401) 943-2456
E-mail: MARbc4@aol.com
Councilwoman Paula B. McFarland
City Council Vice President – Council Ward 3
Phone: (401) 944-5802
E-mail: pmcfarland@cranstonri.org
Councilman Richard D. Santamaria, Jr.
Council Ward 5
Phone: 946-6709
E-mail: ritatj10@yahoo.com
Councilman Terence Livingston
Council Ward 1
Phone: (401) 785-2955
E-mail: Terry@livingstonlaw.us
Comment
Wednesday May 12, 2010
Thee Euston-Fairweather Registry of Hyper Links: Trashing the New Comp Plan Edition
This edition of the Registry offers a short collection of projects from Cranston’s ugly development front. All of these developments required numerous zoning variances and comp plan amendments, all of them are out of character with their respective locales, and all of them will benefit their developers at the expense of Cranston’s residents, its character, environmental well-being, and fiscal health.
moreMonday May 3, 2010
Losing the War on Drugstores
After about a 15 month flatline, it looks like the Cranston Recklessly Approved Project index (the city’s leading economic indicator), is on the rise again. We can all rejoice that developers are back at work – looking for ways to get variances and cut corners on the road to grabbing... more
Monday January 11, 2010
Skip the Bag, Save the River
On Tuesday, January 12 at 7pm, the City Planning Commission will consider the Stop & Shop proposal slated for the Warwick Nurseries property. One of the concessions that the neighborhood was looking for was a moratorium on plastic bags. It’s a great idea, and I have to admit I’m anti-disposable... more
Monday November 23, 2009
Fixing Rolfe Square: Pimp Your Storefront Edition
Ruth’s Lingerie storefront during a sale last year Things are starting to look up for Rolfe Square. Soon they will be looking fabulous. The Artists’ Exchange has teamed up with students from Rhode Island School of Design to redesign six storefronts. Artists’ Exchange Director Elaine McKenna-Yeaw says “the idea is to... more
Saturday October 24, 2009
The Park Cinema Reopens for a Sequel
At 5 PM last night, the Park Cinema officially re-opened as the Rhode Island Center for Performing Arts. Rolfe Square took on a completely different feeling when the theater was illuminated and pods of people spilled out onto the neighboring streets. It was especially striking to see the Park sign... more