The Design Review Committee subset of the East Providence Waterfront Commission made a positive recommendation of “Phase 1A” of the MetLinks Golf Course project, the planned construction of a maintenance compound in the northeast corner of the property.

The subgroup did so at its most recent meeting held Thursday evening, Aug. 8, in the Council Chamber at City Hall. The item is part of the continued redevelopment of the former Metacomet Country Club off Veterans Memorial Parkway by Metacomet Property LLC, a subsidiary of the land owners Marshall Development.

A 5,000 square foot garage is part of design element 1A of Marshall's three-pronged plan to re-envision the 138-acre parcel.

"Phase 1" was the renovation of the former front side of the golf course, turning seven of those existing holes into a nine-hole course open to the public. That part of the plan is complete. The course opened for play in late June.

"Phase 2" and "Phase 3" are the focal points of the project, when the majority of the property will be transformed from a golf course into a mixed-use development with multiple living and commercial structures (890 residential units and 153,000 square feet of retail space).

The Design Review Committee made the motion to send a positive recommendation on the matter to both the East Providence Planning Board as well as the full Waterfront Commission, in that order. The earliest either could take up the issue would be at their September 2024 meetings.

Of note, those two bodies must sign off on the item as well before any further work can be done on the maintenance area, which is set to be built near Fort and Fisher Streets.

The recommendation, in the form of a motion made by DRC chair Steve Amoroso, included amendments suggested by neighboring residents to require Marshall install some sort of screening, plantings or a berms so as to "mitigate visual connection between cars and headlights."

As proposed, Marshall submitted a design for a six-foot buffer, a landscaped berm, along Fort Street and another of eight feet in width for residents on Fisher Street, the rear of whose properties abut the golf course. Those buffers would augment the existing eight-foot high chainlink fencing on the edge of the Metacomet property.

The maintenance location also includes a parking lot, accessed via a gate off Fort Street, a 12-foot x 12-foot water pump house and a separate approximately 16"x5" shed.

Joshua Berlinsky, managing partner of the law firm DarrowEverett and the lead spokesperson for the developer, led the discussion last week on the part of Marshall, which also included a review of a noise impact study his clients commissioned.

Noise, both sound and light, was at the heart of the talks at the DRC meeting. Several residents again voiced their opposition to the mixed-use portion of project as a whole and specifically the placement of the maintenance area.

Similar maintenance buildings at the former Metacomet CC were situated at the acknowledged front of the property accessed via the Parkway, nowhere near residences on Fort or Fisher Streets nor Lyon Avenue.

Amoroso, in his closing remarks, stressed the plans going forward still must meet all existing city and/or Waterfront Commission building and zoning guidelines before it can come to fruition.

While seeking the positive recommendation for the maintenance area, Paul Pisano, a Construction Manager at Marshall Properties, Inc., said it was likely no more than "five" members of the maintenance crew would access the Fort Street entry at any given time.

In addition, in response to concerns about noise generated by lawn mowers, Pisano acknowledged the chore is done daily throughout most of the season, but that it usually is finished by shortly after 1 p.m.

As for what the Phase 1A means for the development and the neighborhood, Pisano said, "What we're doing here is very consistent with what has been going on there for the last 120 years. We're not doing anything new with this proposed use."

The larger, development-wide noise study was conducted by David Coate Consulting. In reviewing the associated traffic study, Coate wrote "The study shows that while increased traffic noise will be noticeable along certain roadways, the increase is below RIDOT (Rhode Island Department of Transportation) noise guidelines.

In addition, while reviewing the potential impact of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) noise generated by the new commercial and residential structures in Phases 2 and 3, Coate determined "While these noises may be audible at times, they will
be substantially lower in level than existing ambient noise and therefore not significant.

"Construction activities may increase short-term sound levels as a result of the use of heavy machinery. These increases may create a temporary adverse impact to nearby receptor locations."

The next meeting of the entire East Providence Waterfront Commission takes place Tuesday night, Aug. 13, at 7 p.m. also in the Council Chamber at City Hall. Watch a livestream of the meeting at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0YEW6s1RpjcKR47VMil1LA.