Newport This Week

Council Split on West Main Development



The Middletown Town Council voted down a motion on March 15 by President Robert Sylvia to authorize discussions between town administrator Shawn Brown and local developer Chris Bicho on his proposal to transform 15 acres of town-owned property into a mixed-use development encompassing residential, retail and recreational elements.

If it had been approved, the motion would not have obligated the town to enter into any agreements with Bicho or his company, Landings Real Estate Group, of which Bicho is founder and president. The vote was 4-3 against, with Sylvia and councilors Thomas Welch and Barbara VonVillas in favor. Council Vice-President Paul Rodrigues and councilors Dennis Turano, Theresa Santos, and Terri Flynn were opposed.

Bicho described the proposal for the property, located on the corner of West Main Road and Coddington Highway, as a destination center.

“This property presents a tremendous opportunity for the town to move forward with some community facilities, an [increased] tax base at no cost to the taxpayers,” Bicho said, arguing that failing to utilize the land in a comprehensive development could lead to a furthering of the many single-parcel commercial operations found up and down West Main Road.

“We propose a town center concept,” he said. “[The land] just sits there … Imagine a place where people live, work and eat. The opportunity is boundless.”

Working with input from the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce and the Middletown Economic Advisory Committee, the town had previously commissioned Pennsylvania-based Fourth Economy Consulting to craft a request for information to potential developers interested in a public-private partnership to better utilize the land, which in addition to the empty field abutting Coddington Highway on the southern portion includes the Pottsy Field sports facility, the Middletown Public Library and the former JFK school.

A Jan. 28 memo from town planner Ron Wolanksi stated that although the RFI had been “adver- tised locally and distributed to local, regional and national development firms,” Bicho’s was the only response they received.

Rodrigues questioned why only one developer expressed interest in what is being hailed as a lucrative venture. He said the town should hold off until more alternatives are identified. “I’d rather drive down West Main Road and see [open] space rather than buildings,” he said.

Wolanski said that economic uncertainty caused by the pandemic may have influenced developers.

Bicho responded that public-private partnerships are often unattractive to large-scale developers. “A lot of people don’t want to take that path of dealing with a government entity,” he said. “I feel very comfortable with it.”

The Landings Real Estate Group controls the former Navy housing to the west of the property on Coddington Highway, now known as the Landings Apartment Community. It also redeveloped the former Sandpiper Cottages into the East Island Reserve Hotel on East Main Road.

Earlier in the meeting, the Town Council also rejected a recommendation from the Planning Board to amend the town’s land use zoning ordinance to expand permitted uses in mixed-use developments. The preliminary proposal, which can be found on the town’s website, states the development would take five years to complete “based on current market conditions.”

Renderings of design concepts provided by the Landings Real Estate Group, in concert with DiPrete Engineering, Cordtsen Design Architecture and Kirby Properties, include 268 housing units, co-living workspace, lodging, a community center and 30,000 square feet of retail and office space.

There would be parking for 500 to 600 vehicles and affordable units dedicated to seniors and income eligible tenants. The plan calls for the demolishment of both the current library and former elementary school, to be replaced by a “cultural, education, community and library” center.

According to the proposed “financial approach,” the town would not be required to put any capital upfront for the $51.5 million project. The property would be leased long-term for $100,000 to $200,000 annually, with property tax revenue to the town estimated between $500,000 and $600,000 per year. The partnership would utilize available tax credits, and state and federal grants, as well as a bond to finance the new library.

Flynn supported holding off on further discussions until the state’s plans to reconfigure the Pell Bridge off-ramp and Coddington Highway, and Newport’s planned redevelopment of the North End, becomes clear. “Whenever anything is done on island in one community regarding traffic, it affects all of the communities,” she said.

VonVillas was disappointed that discussions failed to move forward. The town has been debating what to do with the land since the threeacre site of the former Navy Lodge was purchased from the Navy in 2018, a transaction that took a decade to finalize.

“I find it difficult to believe that we have the opportunity to get information and might choose not to do so,” she said. “To not want information is burying your head in the sand. I find it very difficult to think that I’m working with people who would prefer not to know something.”

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