R.I. Commerce to fund water exploration & plans for housing at The Pines in North Smithfield

NORTH SMITHFIELD – A project to explore the possibility of creating a public well to replace private wells along Route 146, and a development set to bring 47 units of housing to Pound Hill Road have each received boosts in the form of grants through the Rhode Island Commerce Site Readiness Program.

The grants, announced this week by Gov. Dan McKee, aim to support business growth, job creation, and local municipalities and developers, according to a release. McKee serves as chairman of the R.I. Commerce board, which awarded $10.6 million in incentives through the organization’s various initiatives.

The North Smithfield projects are among 14 receiving a total of $1,957,000 in the Site Readiness category, which provides funding and technical assistance to municipalities, public agencies, and other stakeholders “to help make underutilized or vacant sites ready for development,” according to the agency.

Among the larger of the site ready awards, the town will receive $300,000 for the “Source Water Exploration Project,” an effort that will target underutilized properties along Route 146. Plans to target the area, where lack of water and sewer infrastructure has held back development, were part of a development platform announced by Town Administrator Scott Gibbs as part of his election campaign last year, and former Administrator Paul Zwolenski’s administration previously secured $175,000 grant from Rhode Island Commerce to study laterals in the area.

Water Supt. Bill Descoteaux reportedly submitted the latest grant application for funds for “exploring and identifying a new high-capacity public well to replace private wells along Route 146.”

“It’s really just about gathering information at this point,” Descoteaux told NRI NOW. “It’s simply one more option we’re looking into as we plan for the town’s future water needs. It’s about better understanding what local resources we might have available.” 

Descoteaux said that no decisions have been made regarding how a potential source would be used or managed. He noted that much of the talk about bringing water to the area has focused on extending existing water lines and that the option is still on the table.  

“I also want to point out that the city of Woonsocket has been a great partner over the years,” he added. “They’ve been extremely generous with supply and a very good neighbor to North Smithfield. That said, we understand that water is a precious resource, and they have to manage their system carefully. There may come a time when they need to limit how much water they can provide to outside communities. This project is about being proactive and making sure we’re prepared and have backup options if and when they’re needed.”

A separate grant of $75,000, meanwhile, was awarded to Pound Hill Estates for “site-specific planning and pre-development activities related to land survey, architecture, engineering, legal, etc., for new residential units.”

According to Rhode Island Commerce Director of Communications Matthew Touchette, the application for that funding was submitted by “47 Pines, LLC,” for a project at 1204 Pound Hill Road- the former home of The Pines Restaurant. Owner Richard Albanese reportedly has plans to establish 47 units of affordable housing there – and work is already underway for reuse of the former restaurant structure.

When NRI NOW spoke to Albanese in May, the developer said he had plans to establish 28 units in the former restaurant building, in an adaptive reuse project that is not subject to planning or zoning approval. That effort, however, would have marked an expansion of the building’s current footprint. and work was reportedly stopped shortly after NRI NOW made inquires about the project at Town Hall.

Earlier this month, Albanese was quoted as saying that the current plan is to develop 20 units inside the building.

RI Commerce will help to fund the planning for phase two of the project, which involves construction a second structure on the 7.5 acre lot. Touchette said the grant application envisions another 18 units, although the final number of apartments in the project remains unclear, as the total on the grant application was stated at 47.

For the state agency, the funding is focused on fostering business growth, attracting new investments, creating jobs, and strengthening the economy.

“We’re committed to growing Rhode Island’s economy—and this work is evidence of that,” said McKee. “Through strategic investments, we’re creating good-paying jobs, sparking innovation, and supporting local development.”

“These incentives represent Rhode Island’s commitment to fostering job creation, driving innovation, and supporting transformative development projects across the state,” said Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner. “By investing in our businesses and communities now, we are building a stronger and more resilient economy for years to come.”

More information on the agency’s programs can be found at commerceri.com. 

Editor’s note: The above article has been edited to add information on a previous grant and comments from Supt. Bill Descoteaux.