Cranston redevelopment proposal leaves residents asking,”when is enough, enough?”

COSTCO is coming! COSTCO is coming! The long-rumored Cranston location for the big box store was “behind Shaws” at the Carpionato Corporation’s Chapel View development. That has been quiet for some time now, and between challenges at Chapel View, economic times, and neighborhood opposition, has been said to be “off the table”.

But there is a new developer on the scene, a new location, and a much larger proposal running the rumor mill among nearby homeowners, many of whom are well organized from prior development oppositions.

Cranston Crossing

The new developer is Massachusetts/California based Coastal Partners. The new location is the Mulligan’s Island Golf and Entertainment facility.

Mulligan’s is a 52+ acre multi-purpose golf facility located by the Pastore Complex off Route 37 in Cranston. It runs along New London Avenue, adjacent to the RI DMV entrance, state facilities and prison property.

Attorney John Bolton, for the developer, is a partner with Hinckley Allen, and also represented Cumberland Farms for the Edgewood store/gas station project, during the time he also served as an Associate Judge of the Cranston Municipal Court.

The new proposed development goes well beyond a big-box store. The 52-acre site of Mulligan’s Island Golf & Entertainment is under agreement to be purchased by “a Massachusetts-based company that wants to redevelop the property for a large-format retail building, three freestanding buildings for restaurants and banking and a single-family residential community”.

COSTCO would be Phase 1 of the multi-year development, similar to who Garden City Center has expanded – they have now completed developing Phase 4 and 5 – with the only available portion being the bank at the top of Reservoir and Sockanosset, which still has a lease in effect. Plans for a boutique hotel and underground garage were mentioned for that location. Since the final development was completed, the center was sold, with some key staff remaining in local management.

It’s long been said that COSTCO won’t go anywhere without both a gas station – and a liquor store – on site. With no liquor store licenses available, there has been conversation about relocating an existing store, the closest of which is Wines & More on Sockanosset Cross Road. There is also the vacant Phred’s Drugs, whose owners still maintain a license. It’s not clear if a store not owned by COSTCO, and not inside of the big box store would satisfy their “want” or whether that no longer applies.

The popularity of COSTCO has never been in question – only its seemingly out of place proposed locations, with massive traffic issues for the area. So massive that Route 37 is being reconstructed to include a new off-ramp. This construction is disrupting traffic flow from both Route 95 North and South – and Route 37 – all major entry/exit pathways from an area affectionately called “the heart of Cranston”. Ramp construction will take over 18 months. The original intent of the new off ramp was to increase access for the Topgolf development as well as a potential COSTCO on Carpionato property. Topgolf construction has not yet begun. Part or all of the “old Citizens Bank building” to be used for Topgolf has been repurposed for the State of Rhode Island’s COVID-19 pandemic overflow hospital facility, and remains unused but maintained, and at the ready.

On a radio show recently, RIDOT’s Peter Alviti confirmed COSTCO was not coming to this area.

At several Cranston City Council meetings the issue of traffic on the one mile Sockanosset Cross Road comes up repeatedly. Promised traffic studies have not been done, going on and off the planning calendar or the city, the state, and Carpionato Corp, though officials will still say it’s in the plans. The Council made it clear to concerned neighbors that no future development would take place without the studies. The term “failed intersection” is used to describe Sockanosset and Pontiac Avenues (right off Route 37), which now has a closed Burger King next to a closed Webster Bank swath of land – with the BK property fenced off for development of – another bank.

Residents Learn from History

The neighbors have long known that to find out what’s going on in Cranston development they have to flush out rumors, and do their own due diligence. An especially telling moment happened years ago when the COSTCO rumor was being denied in a meeting, but the map being used as a visual prop clearly had the word “COSTCO” printed on it.

Homeowners of the Oak Hill Terrace were successful many years ago in preventing a BJs from being located on the Mulligan’s site. Some members of that group and others are circulating information on social media and with each other about the new development proposal. This has been posted on a Facebook:

As one neighbor opposed to TopGolf commented, “last time they all said ‘No TopGolf’ to us at a candidates night meeting, complimenting us for our successful efforts, we trusted them. But, just weeks later, after the election, the TopGolf proposal passed unanimously at the City Council, with each and every member speaking glowingly about it – and the owner, himself, present in the audience. We learned, and we won’t forget that experience.”

Mulligan’s Comment

RINewsToday reached out to Michael L. Friedman, of Mulligan’s Island, LLC and he provided us with this statement:

“We are not providing comment on the development, you should reach out to Coastal Partners for more information.  We will continue to operate Mulligan’s Island for the remainder of the season as best we can during the Covid-19 restrictions.”

Request for Candidates’ Comment/Position

All of this is happening in a hotly contested Mayoral election year, which is seeing several City Council members running in the primary. On a Facebook page discussing this development, 122 comments, none of which were seen as positive, were posted on Saturday, alone, with over 8,000 “engagements”., and 50 new members in just a few hours. Part of the Facebook post was an appeal to all the candidates running for City Council – or Mayor – to let the community know their position on this development. As we go to print, there were no responses posted from any elected officials or candidates. Residents were asking each other to ask candidates who might be out on the campaign trail, knocking on doors, or at events, what their position was.

One mayoral andidate, and current Cranston city councilman, Kenneth Hopkins sent a statement to RINewsToday on Saturday evening:

Mayoral Candidate Hopkins expresses concern about proposed Mulligan’s Island Plans

“CRANSTON, RI, July 18, 2020 – City Councilman and mayoral candidate Kenneth J. Hopkins today expressed concerns about the reported intense development plans that are being discussed to replace the existing Mulligan’s Island recreational site in Cranston.

“While I have not yet seen specific plans, I have heard from neighbors that an out of state developer is about to launch a major project to convert this quiet recreational site into a Costco Warehouse, a residential subdivision and other commercial uses,” said Hopkins.

“My understanding is that the developer recently held a zoom conference call with a select number of neighbors,” said Hopkins.  The mayoral candidate said that he was told the scope of this project is so large that new traffic signals and a redesign of New London Avenue will be needed.

Hopkins said that it is his understanding that the developer will be submitting plans to the City Council for introduction at this month’s council meeting.  “While I will await the formal introduction and will fulfill my oversight duties as a councilman, I am concerned about the tactics being utilized so far.”

“The magnitude of this potential project deserves a full, open and comprehensive review and discussion with neighbors before its formal presentation,” said Hopkins.  “To introduce and promote this in the dead of the summer while we are experiencing a health pandemic is very troubling. Why is the out of state developer trying to slide this through when the City Council and Planning Commission are not yet even holding in person meetings? That is not a gesture of openness and good faith,” stated Hopkins.

“The residents of Oak Hill Terrace, Mayfield Avenue and Garden Hills should be able to attend meetings in person, review plans, ask questions and speak directly to city officials. To expect that a project of this size to be reviewed on a laptop or cell phone by neighbors is unacceptable,” proclaimed Hopkins.

Hopkin said “this Massachusetts developer may think he can zoom through the zoning process in Cranston. I assure the residents of Cranston that I will do my utmost to see that this gets a full and complete airing with their views being heard in person.”

He concluded “The neighbors made a difference more than a decade ago on the last big box proposal for this site. “I will be their elected agent for the responsible redevelopment of Mulligan’s Island this year.”

Kenneth J. Hopkins, 401-954-1607, [email protected]

This is a developing story.