East Point development helps fulfill the promise of the city’s waterfront - by Roberto DaSilva

Commuters traveling over the new Henderson Bridge connecting the cities of East Providence and Providence may notice several structures rising along the Seekonk River waterfront. The activity marks construction of the East Point development, now well underway by Noble Development, a subsidiary of Churchill & Banks.

The $150 million development will create nearly 400 housing units across a range of housing types and price points. The project will expand the local housing supply with a mix of single-family and multifamily units, as well as affordable senior housing.

Thirty-nine of East Point’s housing units will be developed by Aldersbridge Communities into The Landing at East Point. The 39-unit building will become Rhode Island’s first LGBTQ-friendly affordable senior housing development.

The 27-acre East Point property was previously home to the Washburn Wire and Ocean State Steel facilities. While the companies employed hundreds of local residents, they also left behind significant heavy-metal contamination.

Local Community Development Block Grant funds, along with other federal grant funding, were used by the city to purchase and remediate the contaminated property. After a previous development attempt stalled, the site was placed into court-ordered receivership and became tied up in legal disputes. My administration brought all parties to the table to address several challenges, including removing the property from receivership and facilitating its sale to Noble Development.

East Providence and Noble Development later entered into a tax increment financing agreement valued at more than $22 million to help repurpose the site. Much of the funding was used to support the construction of necessary infrastructure improvements.

Permitting for East Point was issued through the East Providence Waterfront Commission. The commission was created more than 20 years ago with goals that included establishing a plan for waterfront redevelopment, transforming abandoned industrial land and streamlining the permitting process.

East Point represents the promise of the Waterfront Plan and demonstrates how municipalities can proactively partner with developers to revitalize brownfield sites. The project also highlights the potential to bring both public access and new housing opportunities to long-dormant industrial property.

The development includes six acres of publicly accessible waterfront space with sweeping views of the Seekonk River — an amenity officials say would have been difficult to imagine during the height of heavy industry on the site.

The City of East Providence remains committed to redeveloping underutilized properties, including brownfields, to benefit the community through jobs, housing, public open space and a cleaner environment for residents. I am encouraged to see both public and private investments continuing to move the East Point project forward.

Roberto DaSilva is the mayor of the city of East Providence, R.I.