NEWS

Abrupt end for Costco debate

Developer withdraws application for Cranston Crossing zoning change

By DANIEL A. KITTREDGE
Posted 12/23/20

By DANIEL KITTREDGE The debate surrounding plans to bring a new, Costco-anchored development to the current home of Mulligan's Island Golf & Entertainment drew to an abrupt end last week. Through a brief letter from its legal counsel to the City Council

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in
NEWS

Abrupt end for Costco debate

Developer withdraws application for Cranston Crossing zoning change

Posted

The debate surrounding plans to bring a new, Costco-anchored development to the current home of Mulligan’s Island Golf & Entertainment drew to an abrupt end last week.

Through a brief letter from its legal counsel to the City Council and city clerk, Massachusetts-based Coastal Partners LLC on Dec. 15 withdrew its application for a zoning change needed in order for the project, known as Cranston Crossing, to proceed.

The move came just two days before the council was poised to vote on the zoning change, and a day after the council’s Ordinance Committee – following a lengthy hearing – had forwarded the matter to the full body without a recommendation.

Reached by email last week, Michael DiGuiseppe, managing partner of Coastal Partners, and Michael Friedman, managing partner of Mulligan’s Island LLC, both said they had no immediate comment on the decision to withdraw the application.

In a statement on Facebook, the community opposition group Cranston Neighbors for Smart Development struck a celebratory tone while indicating it will keep “continue to remain vigilant” with regard to future proposals for the Mulligan’s site.

“A heartfelt thank you to our supporters, volunteers, and neighbors throughout Cranston!” the statement reads, continuing: “From the start, we wished [the developer] had considered other locations in Cranston. We aren’t against development on that spot, and hope to be involved in any future discussions with city officials and the owners of Mulligan’s Island about a suitable development for that property if needed.”

Jason Pezzullo, director of the city’s Planning Department, said last week that the implications of the zoning change withdrawal for any future consideration were not immediately clear.

Typically, he said, a proposal that fails during the city’s review cannot be reintroduced within a two-year period. While applications can be withdrawn without “prejudice,” he said, the Cranston Crossing zone change had already gone through a lengthy public hearing process – as well as a binding vote of the Planning Commission, which issued a negative recommendation on Dec. 8 – before being taken off the table.

Pezzullo added, however, that a “vastly different proposal” from what had been under discussion might not be subject to the two-year timeframe.

In terms of what would be possible at the Mulligan’s property, Pezzullo said its size – roughly 55 acres – presents some challenges in terms of commercial development, given the investment needed in terms of infrastructure and site preparation.

“We don’t have other parcels like this in the city,” he said.

In the case of Cranston Crossing, he noted, the proposed Costco wholesale club would have served as the anchor to make the other aspects of the plan – specifically, additional retail and restaurant spaces – viable economically.

The withdrawal of the application culminates a process that drew significant attention from the community and became a major issue during this year’s election campaign.

Opponents raised a litany of concerns, asserting that Cranston Crossing would have an adverse impact on quality of life and property values in the surrounding neighborhoods. Supporters, meanwhile, touted Costco’s reputation as a quality employer and pointed to the economic benefits the city would reap in terms of job creation and tax revenue.

The plans for Cranston Crossing first emerged over the summer. Ahead of the planned start of public hearings in September, there were two high-profile public gatherings related to the project – a neighborhood-based presentation from CNSD, and a subsequent joint site visit at Mulligan’s hosted by the City Council and Planning Commission in August.

During those initial weeks, a number of elected officials and candidates – including citywide Councilman Ken Hopkins, now mayor-elect – made clear their opposition to Cranston Crossing. CNSD, too, began an active campaign against the development.

The public hearing process, at the developer’s request, was twice delayed, first until October and then to December. What was ultimately considered during those hearings was largely unchanged from the initial application, with one major exception – the removal of a future residential development of 40-plus single-family homes from the plan, with the roughly 18 acres on which it was to be situated to be instead given to the city for open space and recreational use.

The use of the Mulligan’s Island property – previously state-owned and known as the “Cornfields” – has long been the subject of debate and, at times, controversy.

The city adopted very specific zoning – known as a Mixed Use Planned District, or MPD – roughly two decades ago to pave the way for Mulligan’s. Unlike traditional commercial, residential or industrial zones, in which any development can be pursued within an approved set of uses and restrictions, the MPD is essentially tailored to the property and provides the city more control over the site plan.

Members of CNSD and other residents of the surrounding neighborhoods have said the protections afforded by the unique zoning and the specific nature of the Mulligan’s operation were key components of the pitch made to the community – and to the state – at the time the land was sold.

On the other hand, Friedman and others have said that Mulligan’s initially faced the same kind of community opposition that Cranston Crossing has drawn. DiGuiseppe also presented his company’s plan as “smart development” due to the amount of undeveloped space that would remain, although that characterization was challenged.

Coastal Partners proposed a major amendment to the existing MPD, which, under the city’s regulations, essentially constituted the creation of a new zone. During the public hearings, representatives of CNSD questioned the process through which the zone change was being considered, asserting that the developer should have submitted a simultaneous master plan for the property or even pursued a change to straight highway commercial zoning.

For now, the future of the Mulligan’s site remains unclear. The property’s current owners previously entered into a purchase agreement with Coastal Partners, which in turn had secured a long-term lease with Costo.

Friedman and his brother, Mark, have said repeatedly that the existing operation is unsustainable and that a change is inevitable. They and others have also raised the prospect of the state moving to reacquire the property, which sits adjacent to the Adult Correctional Institutions and the rest of the Pastore Center campus.

Opponents of the development have rejected the idea that state reacquisition of the Mulligan’s site looms, including Kevin Flynn, the city’s former planning director and one of CNSD’s experts, who deemed it a “red herring.”

Three state agencies – the departments of Administration, Corrections and Transportation – submitted letters of opposition to Cranston Crossing during the public hearing process. The state concerns centered on prison security and traffic impacts.

Many city officials and residents have expressed support for Costco coming to Cranston at some other location. Mayor Allan Fung recently said he would like to see the wholesale club located within Chapel View, near the coming Topgolf facility, where it had previously been planned.

During an interview Monday, Hopkins said he continues to favor the creation of a new recreational facility at the Mulligan’s property – a concept that has been endorsed by several candidates and officials. As he prepares to take office as mayor, he said he remains opposed to a Costco at the site.

Crossing, Costco

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here