Neighbors, officials tour site of planned liquor store, bank development

By DANIEL KITTREDGE
Posted 2/26/20

By DANIEL KITTREDGE Clearing existing buildings at an Oaklawn Avenue site that includes the former Mardi Gras nightclub and other businesses will pave the way for a planned liquor store and branch bank, the project's backers told city officials and

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Neighbors, officials tour site of planned liquor store, bank development

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Clearing existing buildings at an Oaklawn Avenue site that includes the former Mardi Gras nightclub and other businesses will pave the way for a planned liquor store and branch bank, the project’s backers told city officials and neighbors during a joint site visit on Saturday morning.

Deborah Clift, the project’s applicant, along with attorney Robert Murray and Eric Prive of DiPrete Engineering outlined their plans before leading participants in a walk around the site, which also borders Bateman Avenue and Cranston Street.

Murray said the plans to clear the site – which also includes three homes on Bateman Avenue, as well as the buildings that currently house Macera’s Restaurant and other businesses – and erect a new 20,000-square-foot liquor store and 1,800-square-foot bank space could proceed immediately once permits are acquired.

But the applicant is seeking a zone change and corresponding Comprehensive Plan amendment in hopes of situating the liquor store further back on the site and moving parking away from nearby homes.

The zone change would shift a portion of the property bordering Catherine Street – which was described as a “paper street” that is paved but has no utilities and is not plowed or maintained by the city – from A-8 residential zoning to C-4 commercial zoning. Were that portion of the property to remain residentially zoned, it could be utilized for parking purposes but not for the liquor store, which is an allowed use in C-4 zones.

“We can do everything we’d like to do without the zone change that we’re seeking from the City Council,” Murray said. “The advantage of the zone change that we’re seeking … we would like to move the building back a little bit.”

Clift owns other liquor stores in the area, including Heritage Liquors at 529 Reservoir Ave. and stores in Coventry and Chepachet. The transfer of an existing liquor license from The Wine & Liquor Company at 311 Warwick Ave. for the new store was approved by the City Council’s Safety Services & Licensing Committee in January.

Clift said she intends to repair some damaged fencing and install new landscaping the Catherine Street side of the property. There would be no direct access to Catherine Street from the site, she said.

Council President Michael Farina said officials will likely consider some action related to Catherine Street as part of the process.

Ken Mason, director of the Department of Public Works, said the administration’s initial intent after reviewing the plans would be to remove the pavement and loam and seed the street. It would remain a city right-of-way, he said, in the event that future home construction is pursued on lots along the street – although doing so would require the installation of utilities and other extensive work, making it unlikely.

Some of the nearby residents in attendance questioned the impact of the demolition and other planned work at the site, as well as potential traffic impacts. Some also worried about Catherine Street becoming a site for illegal dumping or other nuisance activity. It was additionally requested that the project’s backers inquire with the state Department of Transportation –from which permits will be required as part of the work – regarding the installation of a crosswalk from the site across Oaklawn Avenue.

Murray said no blasting is planned as part of the work to prepare the site, while Prive said mitigating impacts from construction will be part of the permitting process through the state Department of Environmental Management.

In terms of the concerns over Catherine Street, Murray said: “We will do the best we can to improve the back of this property.”

Ward 2 Councilman Paul McAuley noted that Heritage Liquors sits within his ward, and he called the business an “ideal neighbor for my area.”

Murray said the planned bank would include “some kind of drive-thru facility.” He said the project’s backers are not yet prepared to announce which bank will be located at the site, but “we’re in serious discussions.”

The proposed zoning change and Comprehensive Plan amendment are scheduled to go before the Planning Commission for review and a possible recommendation on March 3 at City Hall. The measures would then go before the council’s Ordinance Committee on March 12 and the full council at its March 23 regular meeting.

“We are going to do the best possible job we can in terms of notification to neighbors … We will keep you up to date with the progress as to what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen,” Murray told those in attendance.

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