Dowling Village Receives Final Approval

Reprinted from The Providence Journal

Thursday, November 19, 2009

By Talia Buford

Journal Staff Writer

The Planning Board gave the developers of Dowling Village final approval Tuesday night, effectively clearing the way for construction of the $85-million project.

With the 4-to-1 approval in hand the developer, Warwick-based Bucci Development, plans to apply for the necessary permits by the end of the year so that construction can begin as soon as possible, said K. Joseph Shekarchi, corporate counsel.

The 133-acre project will consist of nearly 600,000 square feet of retail space on the east side of Eddie Dowling Highway. The project will include 10 retail buildings (ranging from 11,000 to 120,000 square feet), three restaurants, a three-story office building and condominiums. The complex received approval from the state Department of Environmental Management in 2008.

The developer has included a storm-water management system to protect the town’s drinking water by providing off-site mitigation of Route 146 and Landmark Hospital, which sits near the development.

The project was vehemently opposed by many residents. A group of proponents, the Valley Alliance, has been instrumental in decreasing the size and scope of the project and, Shekarchi said, pushing the developers to be more innovative and environmentally friendly.

“We want to thank the Valley Alliance for being a part of the process over the last several years,” he said. “They raised several issues about the size of the buffer, and the size of the project.”

Shekarchi said the developers have met and exceeded the suggestions presented by the Valley Alliance, which included decreasing the size of the project, increasing the buffer between the project and neighboring homes and using an environmentally friendly storm-water management system.