By JENNETTE BARNES
The Oakland Beach Yacht Club, brought by barge from Providence in 1917 and destroyed in the hurricane of 1938, may soon be resurrected with up to 119 boat slips and a two-story clubhouse.
Starting in January 2000, Warwick residents Don Krikorian and Larry Lucchetti purchased Angel's Marina and two abutting houses at 42 and 46 Bay Avenue, the approximate site of the old club. They plan to rebuild in a similar architectural style and call the new facility the Oakland Beach Yachting Center.
“We're going to duplicate it as best we can. We went to the library and got all the old pictures,” said Krikorian.
Based on preliminary sketches, the 6,400-square-foot building will be L-shaped and, like the original, will feature a second-story deck with crisscrossed railings. The owners say they want to make the clubhouse “really plush” to accommodate wedding receptions and other special events, and the clubhouse would be open to the public for a rental fee. The first floor will have the requisite bathrooms and showers.
Outdoors, the plans call for a swimming pool, a fishpond, and an entry flanked by stone light posts.
“Outside, we'll have a lot of grass and gardens,” Krikorian said. “We want to turn this into a first-class marina, to get rid of the stigma of Oakland Beach. Maybe people will take more pride in having nice facilities around.”
Kirkorian said the club would use existing docks to make 96 slips available in May. He and Lucchetti will later begin replacing the docks and add another 23 slips. They plan to accommodate boats up to 55 feet, with a slip fee of $65 a foot, but no decision has been made about whether an additional membership fee will apply. The owners anticipate that the club will have about 100 members.
The clubhouse will likely have a bar and restaurant equipment for special events, Krikorian said. He has not applied for a liquor license.
Unlike at the old yacht club, the Yachting Center's clubhouse will not stretch out over the water. Krikorian said building over the water would reduce dock space and would be environmentally unsound.
The clubhouse will be built where 42 and 46 Bay Avenue stand, but the business partners are still in the process of securing permits to tear the houses down. They do not have engineered plans yet, and have not submitted any formal applications to the City of Warwick. Krikorian hopes to go before the city in late fall of 2001 and begin construction on the clubhouse in spring of 2002.
According to City Planner Mark Carruolo, Lucchetti and Krikorian met with city planning staff to discuss “rudimentary conceptual drawings.” Although the property is already zoned for waterfront business, Carruolo said the owners would need “substantial zoning relief” – exceptions to regulations about building setbacks and parking.
Once the owners are able to produce engineered plans for the clubhouse, Planning Department staff will meet with them and make recommendations about any changes that need to be made before they formally apply to the Zoning Board for a variance.
The board will conduct a public hearing, and property owners within 200 feet will be notified. If the Zoning Board approves the plans, Krikorian and Lucchetti will be eligible to apply for a formal review by the Coastal Resources Management Council.
Carruolo said no approval from the City Council would be required unless the owners sought a zone change or wanted to dispose of dredged material on the property.
Councilman Bill Foley (D-Ward 6), who represents Oakland Beach, has not heard from Krikorian and Lucchetti about their plans. Foley said he would make sure the public right-of-way that runs through the property is maintained and that development on the site does not come at the expense of the neighborhood.
Mayor Scott Avedisian (R) was upbeat yesterday about the proposal. He once met the owners at a charity event, he said, but has not discussed the project with them.
“Any time we get that kind of investment, I will do all I can to be supportive,” said the mayor, adding that a new yacht club could enhance property values in the neighborhood.
Although Krikorian and Lucchetti asked that the amount of their investment for the Oakland Beach Yachting Center not be made public, the price tag is sizeable. It is their own capital, and no outside investors are involved so far, said Krikorian. He would not rule out allowing club members to buy into the Yachting Center at a later date.