Editor’s note: There is a long and complex history regarding this property, matched by the complexity of the deal that was finally reached. As such, the below article has been edited significantly from its original version as new information has come to light. We apologize for any previous discrepancies and appreciate those who have made us aware of the additional details corrected below.
NORTH SMITHFIELD – After nearly two decades of debate, discussion, negotiation and legal wrangling, the town of North Smithfield now officially owns 124 acres of scenic land that features hiking trails and plenty of local history.
In a deed filed this week, the town purchased vacant land along Mattity Road and Douglas Pike for $2 million from Bel Air Realty, LLC, a business owned by the Gold family. Town Administrator Scott Gibbs confirmed with NRI NOW that the financing for the purchase has come through a solar developer – the third party in the deal.
As part of the agreement, 37.4 acres will be leased to solar developer Anthony DelVicario for construction of a 9 to 9.5-megawatt ground mounted solar photovoltaic system. Under the agreement, the town will lease that portion of the land to DelVicario for $1 a year for 25 years, with one 5 year renewal option.
The scenic land features multiple hiking trails and unique historic features, including a former piggery and two Native American archeological sites.
“This conveyance represents a major portion of Bel Air Realty, LLC’s assets,” the deed notes.
Filing of the document brings to fruition an opportunity for open space that’s been considered in various forms by various town boards for nearly two decades.
It was the late David Gold who built and maintained a system of marked trails looping through waterways and various unique features on his land, which he first proposed selling to the town of North Smithfield in its entirety in 2008. Those involved recall that the deal – which involved purchasing the land with open space grant funding – was accepted at the time by the then council, but later reversed by new leadership following an election.
History repeated itself ten years later when a second deal – for selling the land in its entirety to the town of North Smithfield – fell through in 2018 after it failed to gain favor with enough members of a board of councilors. The decision to offer significantly below Gold’s asking price at the time again followed an election that came with fresh opinions.
In 2019, Gold returned with a new proposal for the land containing a solar element.
He opened it to the public as a way for locals to escape from pandemic-related stress in 2020, but then died in August of that year. His wife, Marcia Gold, would take up the effort of selling family land to the town, proposing a lease agreement that would ultimately see the town take back the full acreage once complete.
The plan has since seen multiple iterations, with zoning denials, court appeals, removal of a 10 acre conservation easement and multiple stops before the Planning Board before reaching its final version, which was approved administratively by Town Planner Mark Carruolo on Tuesday, July 1.
The finalized version will see the 37 acre solar portion cleared and surrounded by fencing, with the remaining acres along Mattity Road held in conservation and made available to residents for hiking and recreation. Some of the original trails will be removed to make way for the solar array, but as part of the deal approved by the Planning Board, DelVicario will build new connecting trails, a paved bike path running from Mattity Road to the western end of the property, and four public parking spaces by the entrance to the lot.
“It’s just a great piece of property,” said Town Councilor John Beauregard, a longtime proponent of the effort to purchase the land for open space.
The land extends into neighboring Burrillville with views of Tarkiln Pond, where an archeological study conducted on behalf of the property owner in the mid-1990s revealed two Native American sites. Two parcels in the original 127 acre proposal, including the one covering the abutting Lake Bel Air, were ultimately excluded from the final transaction – in part due to the need for lake improvements and dam work – according to Beauregard.
North Smithfield Heritage Association President Richard Keene, also a longtime supporter of the purchase, noted that the land is valuable in terms of recreation, history and conservation. The lot contains Rankin Brook and the remains of a railroad station that served the Augustus Fields swinery – the largest piggery of its kind in the state in the late 1800s. It holds a historic cemetery, and the archeological sites were a battlefield in the King Philip’s War.
“It’s a national battlefield most people don’t know about,” Keene said.
Beauregard said the details of when and how the town-owned land will become open to the public are now in planning.
“That is in the works,” he said. “We’ll figure out who is going to be responsible for the trails.”
For his part, Keene said the trail will not require much for maintenance and said he’s ecstatic about the purchase.
“This is awesome,” Keene said. “As far as a diversity of positive attributes, I think this is the best acquisition the town has made to date. This is a huge win for the town.”
Ok. Solar developer is leasing it back for $1 a year for 25 years as I understand. After 25 years who is removing the worn out, out of date solar panels since they will be junk after 15-20 years
Excellent point David! Don’t forget that those panels will also be polluting the environment in the area they were placed. There is evidence of this happening now all over the country where solar panels have been placed in de-forested areas. Don’t hold your breath that these companies will be in business at that point in time, let alone even in the next 2-3 years.
The Planning Board decision specifies that the solar company will remove the project within 120 after operations are discontinued and that they will pay the town cash surety so the town can remove it in the case that they don’t.
When will they pay the town the surety and how much ?
That I do not know because it is not in the documents I looked at, but I’m sure you could figure it out if you reviewed video of the Planning Board meetings where this was discussed – or ask someone at Town Hall like the planner.
I believe that the deal was contingent on the surety being in-place, presumably they already have it, but who knows.
Way too much money for WET LANDS! I worked for the Golds many years ago in their tire business. THey ALWAYS wnted MORE than any of the products were worth, and this land is nor worth any where near what the town paid1 It’s all swamp land ! I would not have given any mor that half of what they CHEATED the town out of! THis is a VERY sad day for N.S.!
The amount the town ultimately paid was zero. The solar developer is financing the purchase, as noted above.
Actually, in lieu of taxes to the town, the solar developer financed certain acreage, sure. And minor lease payment. Indirect purchase and tax deferment deal. So yes, the town is paying for it: Solar developer buys it, leases from NS for dirt cheap, cause someone has to appear on paper as the owner, and in lieu of taxes…..(?)….gets his money back. So on paper NS owns it for that dollar lease. So now who profits on a reg basis? Who truly profits, NS ppl will be able to use it. Who gets the solar kickback? At least that’s my take on this deal. If wrong , please correct me….
Having grown up at Lake BelAir, knowing the Gold family and horseback riding those trails with David, I am saddened to read this…
“ Some of the original trails will be removed to make way for the solar array, but as part of the deal approved by the Planning Board, DelVicario will build new connecting trails”
Those trails have so much history and are now going to be replaced by solar panels???
This is NOT a big win!
A big win would have been if the town had purchased it years ago when they had the chance… without clearing nearly 40 acres for solar.
From North Smithfield’s Comprehensive Plan.
“In North Smithfield, open space and conservancy actions should be focused on the preservation of critical natural resources including but not limited to: rivers, ponds, reservoirs, streams, flood plains, freshwater marshes and wetlands, groundwater aquifers and their recharge zones, unique geography and geology, special habitats and vegetation such as those identified by the RI Natural Heritage Program, farmlands, trees (remaining tracts of forest and street trees) and natural vegetation.”
Section 2 of the Comp Plan says
“2. Protect the Town’s natural resources while preserving rural areas.
Nalullar Ticillase cui
2.a. Prioritize areas for conservation based on historical development patterns while redeveloping existing commercial areas.
2.a.1. Preserve land based on criteria including but not limited to size, adjacent protected parcels, significant natural resources, rare or endangered species or habitat, significant cultural features, development potential, road access etc.
2.a.2. Work with the Land Trust and other organizations to protect land via conservation easements and land donations along with fee simple purchase.
2.b. Recognize the value associated with the town’s impressive groundwater resources.
2.b.1. Cooperate with the City of Woonsocket in the implementation of its Water Quality Protection Plan for the City’s watershed and reservoir properties in North Smithfield.
How many of you reading this know that part of the Gold property falls within a Natural Heritage Area? North Smithfield should have put in more work to find a way to purchase the entire property. DEM and other organizations are always working with towns to find ways to purchase properties.. especially those in Natural Heritage Areas.
It’s very clear to me that the Town of North Smithfield DOES NOT follow their own Comprehensive Plan, or use the Conservation Opportunities Area map like they should be.
Once again a town only showing interest when there is profit to be made.
In 2018 as conservation commission chairman, I arranged and participated in a meeting with two town councilors and Mr Gold at his home. We negotiated a potential purchase of all the acreage including Lake BelAir and a house on the property with access from RT 7 for 1.8 million. Funding would come from the open space bond passed by the voters in 2006. At a closed door session the short sighted administrator and council majority foolishly made a ridiculous and insulting offer of less than one third the asking price from which Mr Gold rightfully walked away.
Now 7 years later, years that our residents could have enjoyed this beautiful property, we will pay more for less and will have an unsightly and inefficient solar array to look at for the next 20 plus years.
Wow I have heard it all. This is no more than a disguise for a solar developer. I loved the comment “It’s just a great piece of property,” said Town Councilor John Beauregard, a longtime proponent of the effort to purchase the land for open space. This is all about the old boy network and back room deals.
Exactly what network and back room deal are you speaking of specifically?
Is this just more of your rhetoric to slander someone’s reputation with empty falsehoods and insinuations of impropriety without any actual proof?
Seems like he was a great man and kudos to the family they could have made 20x the money and they still chose to sell to the town. Although a shame for the town and taxpayers that the 2018 Town council was so short sided.
No, they really couldn’t have. That land was for sale for over a decade and only became valuable with the dissolution of the existing conservation easement on the property. Had that conservation easement remained, the entire property would have remained open space, if private. It took up the majority of the buildable land – essentially the 37 acres to be cleared for the solar array.
Did the town purchase the land or was the land donated to the town as proposed in July of 2024?
Hi Cheryl. Your comment must have been made just before our major edits yesterday. The deed clearly shows that the town is paying the money to Bel Air, but we were unaware of the missing piece: that the solar developer is financing that purchase. Not to make an excuse, but we looked at nearly a dozen different documents on the project and that piece of this complex deal was not clear. It has been corrected above.
As a researcher, even after exploring all avenues to find information, new information always comes to light. Thank you, Sandy, for being diligent.