There may soon be signs of life at the former Cranston Print Works complex on Cranston Street in the city’s Knightsville section.

Last week, the City Plan Commission unanimously approved plans to redevelop roughly 17 acres of the former mill complex with a combination of apartments and self-storage units. According to the application submitted by CPW True Storage, LLC and CPW apartments, LLC, (both from Manchester, New Hampshire), the project involves the complete interior and exterior renovation of some of the former mill buildings to create 100 apartments. Other existing structures will be converted into about 880 self-storage units.

The project has been in the works for approximately four years and would mean new life for the Print Works property which has sat fallow since about 2014.  The project also marks long-awaited redevelopment activity in the heart of the city.

The oldest textile mill in the country, Cranston Print Works was founded in 1824 by former Rhode Island Governor William Sprague.  The family’s sprawling Sprague Mansion, now a historical property owned by the Cranston Historical Society, sits in the shadow of the mill complex at the corner of Cranston Street and Dyer Avenue.

In its heyday, Cranston Print Works was one of the largest 19^th-century textile enterprise still operating in the world.  It produced 60 to 70 million yards of printed cloth per year and employed about 700 workers.

The preliminary plan approval unanimously granted by the Plan Commission last Tuesday was the next-to-last procedural hurdle the project needed to clear before actual work can begin.  The next step, final approval, is handled administratively by the City’s Planning Department and once that is received, redevelopment work could begin quickly, project representatives told the Plan Commission.

The final approval is pending minor plan modifications including traffic control at the exits and entrances to the complex and the specifics of some of the tree plantings.

Jonas Burggemann, senior planner for the city, wrote the staff report on the project. He said that the plans call for the property to be well planted and include communal recreational areas for residents.

The project received preliminary approval, also known as master approval, from the city in 2023, which is the first step in the review process. Since then, much more specific work has been done on the plans including traffic studies and obtaining necessary permitting from utilities.

A basic overview of the project was first broached publicly in the summer of 2021 and included a joint visit of the site by the City Council and the Plan Commission. The public was also allowed to attend.

At the time, city officials, including Mayor Kenneth Hopkins, expressed excitement about the possibility of redevelopment in the Knightsville area.

Attorney Robert Murray has represented the Print Works applicants throughout the review process and noted at last Tuesday’s meeting that the master plan approval granted to the project in 2023 allows for 150 apartments. At this point, he said, the applicants are only planning on 100 apartments.

A zoning change was also needed to accommodate the mixed use of the new development and has been granted.

Before the Plan Commission voted last week, board President Steve Frias said that the project is a good fit for Print Works site and surrounding area.

“There is very much a strong desire in the state for housing, and there’s a strong policy coming for more housing, “he said. “What I find is that there are some people who just want as much housing anywhere you can put it. But what I like is housing that make sense in the locations that we need it, and that can handle it.  And what I find with this project is that it does make sense overall.”

He noted that the property has room for ample parking and the fact that it has a mix of residential and commercia uses means it will have a positive fiscal impact on the community.  

Beth Ashman, newly appointed director of planning for Cranston, said it is also a plus that the restoration of the Print Works property represents a major investment in the area.  “It is a historic property and (the project) has seen strong support for the mayor and members of the community,” she said.

Plan Commission member Lisa Mancini said that it will complement other pending plans that will also help revitalize the area.

Another project, called Knights Corner, is proposed for land across the street from the Print Works property.  It received master plan approval in 2023 and calls for the construction of up to 160 apartments, with 15% of them earmarked as affordable house. It has not yet progressed to the preliminary approval process.

The project would also include the repair and renovation of the adjacent white, clapboard historic meeting house at 1380 Cranston Street for it to be converted into a restaurant. The building, which has a domed steeple and is obvious need of restoration, was initially built as a church for the mill village around the Print Works – an area also locally known as Sprague mill village.