- Tidewater Landing's next phase will include over 600 housing units, commercial space, and public amenities.
- The development will feature two large buildings with market-rate housing and commercial space, and a smaller building with mixed-rate housing.
- Construction will begin with a 300-unit building east of the Seekonk River, followed by a 250-unit building with commercial space on the west side.
PAWTUCKET − The next phase of the Tidewater Landing development on the Seekonk River just south of downtown, anchored by Centreville Bank Stadium, will include more than 600 units of market-rate and affordable housing, commercial space and public amenities including a riverwalk and pedestrian bridge, the project's developers announced Thursday, April 17.
“We are incredibly proud to see this vision for the riverfront and Tidewater Landing continue to come to life,” said Dan Kroeber, managing partner of the developer, Fortuitous Partners. “This next phase of the development will not only support the new Centreville Bank Stadium, but also create a vibrant, connected community where residents, visitors, and fans can live, work, and enjoy everything Pawtucket’s riverfront has to offer.”
While the developers had details on what they want to build, they were more reticent when it came to when the work will begin and how much they want the city and state to help financially.
"Probably too soon on that to give you give you exact numbers," Kroeber told The Providence Journal. "Right now, [we are] not prepared to share exact numbers on what everything will cost."
Kroeber added, "I can tell you we are certainly in touch with the city of Pawtucket, we're in touch with the state, focusing on infrastructure, public infrastructure, the river walk, the bridge, trying to find ways to make this project a reality. No specific ask has been made from us on support that would be needed."
"What I can tell you is that there's going to be a very, very significant private investment into the balance of this project," said Kroeber. "Very significant private investment."
Some of the public support would come in the form of federal tax credits, administered by the state, for low-income housing for one of the proposed buildings.
Kroeber said that the developers would be looking to the city and state to pick up at least part of the cost for infrastructure development, such as the pedestrian bridge and riverwalks on both sides of the Seekonk. "There's no firm commitments on any side on that yet," he said, "but we're working with all the stakeholders consistently to find a pathway to get some really incredible public spaces built."
When will the public see tangible steps work is progressing?
Kroeber said that developers, including Fortuitous Partners, in concert with Wood Partners, of Lexington, Massachusetts, and Pennrose, a mixed-income multifamily housing developer headquartered in Philadelphia, are developing plans for the project, which should be submitted to regulators for permit review soon.
"Certainly, this year, we'll be going through the permitting process," said Kroeber. "Groundbreaking's probably too soon to give an exact date on that."
What will the development look like?
Three hundred units of market-rate housing will go up in a building on the east side of the river before a building west of the river containing 250 housing units and commercial space, with a pedestrian bridge spanning the river between the two.
The west-side building will face the plaza outside the stadium entrance, on land now set aside for two premium game-day parking lots. That building, with shops and restaurants facing the stadium, will "create an energetic hub that enhances the game-day experience and year-round community engagement," according to the developers.
Meanwhile, a mid-rise building with 72 units of mixed-rate affordable housing will go up School Street, which parallels the river on the east side. This part of the project is under review for state and federal tax-credit funding through Rhode Island Housing, while design and permitting efforts continue.
Wood Partners will take the lead on the two larger buildings, while Pennrose will shepherd the smaller School Street development. Wood Partners is also developing the Alta Altitude residential community in Warwick, which is expected to have units available this summer. Pennrose recently opened Tempo and broke ground for Tandem, which will combine into a mixed-use and mixed-income community in Providence.
"We think it's going to reshape and unlock a part of the city and state for a whole bunch of folks that haven't experienced it before," said Jim Lambert, of Wood Partners."This is a really unique opportunity: Looking out over the river into the beautiful new stadium. Being right off the highway, a short distance from the relatively new train station." And, he said, it will help address the area's housing shortage.
"There's amazing momentum here and there's a lot of investment here," said Karmen Cheung, of Pennrose, "and investment always follows with more investment."
"Fortuitous continues to be very bullish on the future of Pawtucket," said Kroeber, "and we believe that Tidewater landing really is a transformative project for the waterfront in Pawtucket. This project will continue to drive job creation and increase tax revenue in the city and the state."
