Development would mean 400 jobs

100 more rooms, freestanding medical facility, office buildings proposed at Crowne Plaza site

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One of the city’s largest private development projects of recent times, expected to create 400 jobs and give Rhode Island a niche in medical tourism, will come before the Planning Board April 13 for master plan approval.

The plan by Warwick Hotel Associates calls for a 100-room addition to the Crowne Plaza, bringing it to a total of 366 rooms; a new, free-standing, 35,000-square-foot medical facility on the hotel property; as well as two office/retail buildings with a total of 86,000 square feet on the property.

Kelly Coates, senior vice president of Carpionato Properties, parent company of Warwick Hotel, said Tuesday that with city and state approvals, the expectation is for construction to start this fall on the addition to the hotel and the medical facility. He said the build out of the office/retail buildings, which would flank East Avenue and its intersection with Route 5, would start later depending on tenants. He described them as “custom” buildings that would be designed and built to meet the requirements of specific tenants.

With CR Bard, developer of medical technologies, to the south of the Crowne, Coates sees the development of a medically-related complex of offices and operations that draw people from well beyond Rhode Island. While Coates was not prepared to confirm the tenant for the medical facility, the Laser Spine Institute, which operates seven facilities across the country – the nearest being in Philadelphia – has been mentioned in correspondence with the city.

If that is the case, the institute would be the first to become eligible to operate in the state under “medical tourism” legislation introduced by Warwick Rep. Joseph McNamara. The legislation allows for the addition of medical facilities without the customary Department of Health certificate of need (CON) – a process that can be lengthy and sometimes unsuccessful – provided 50 percent or more of the projected patients are from outside the state, or “medical tourists.”

With the hotel adjacent to the medical facility, those traveling here for medical procedures would have the option of a one-stop location that is close to the highway, airport, and rail.

Coates wasn’t able to provide statistics, but he concludes the development would have a large impact on the local economy with a “spill over into the restaurant and retail community.” Referring to the confluence of the modes of transportation, he said, “infrastructure always begets other jobs.”

According to the city planning department, the project does not require major rezoning or exceptions or variances to city codes. In 1979, the City Council approved a zone change allowing a hotel of not more than 450 rooms, so with the 100-room addition the hotel would still be below the maximum. At that time, the council also approved two office buildings with a maximum of 120,000 square feet. What Carpionato is proposing is three buildings with a total of 121,000 square feet. The overall proposal meets parking requirements, and according to a traffic study performed by Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB) of Providence, the project would result in a minor increase in traffic.

Council approval would be required for a change in zoning from residential to general business for a triangular portion of the site near Route 5 and East Avenue.

That land – about 4.5 acres – is state owned and was deemed as excess property after completion of the redesign of the East Avenue and Route 5 intersection. Coates said Carpionato has an agreement to acquire that land, and a sale is projected to be finalized in June.

Also as part of the plan, there would be an access to the site for vehicles traveling east of East Avenue, thereby eliminating the need for traffic accessing the property from Route 95 to loop around Route 5 to the current entrance. Coates said the East Avenue access has been approved by the Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

“This is all good news for Warwick,” Coates said.

Ward 8 Councilman Joseph Gallucci sees it that way. too.

“If they do what they did at the Crowne Plaza, it’s good for the city,” he said. “They do it right,” he said of Carpionato.

Avedisian likewise called the development a “great addition to the city.” He said no special consideration was given the development, such as a tax stabilization agreement.

In response to questions about a Rhode Island facility, the public relations firm of Edelman released the following statement: “As a leading spine care provider, LSI is constantly seeking new opportunities to innovate and expand our world-class services to patients suffering from neck and back pain. We’ve grown tremendously over the past few years with now seven outpatient facilities across the U.S., but there is still an increased demand from patients. We hope to commit to new markets in 2016, either through mergers and acquisitions or building holistic treatment centers from the ground up.”

Coates acknowledged much of the grassy hill used for dog shows would be lost to the development. But he doesn’t see it as impairing the hotel’s ability to continue to serve as a venue for the events. He said the property is large enough to accommodate the shows that have brought groups to Warwick from across the country.

Now, it seems, the Crowne Plaza site is positioning itself to draw another group of clientele.

Comments

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  • WarwickWatch

    Another back and neck pain facility cranking out more C2 narcotic prescriptions? Wonderful.

    Thursday, March 24, 2016 Report this

  • RIvoter

    What type of medical tourism is this going to be? Without the Department of Health approval what type of care are these people going to be getting at this new facility? Do we have any commitments from people to actually use this? Is this another "if we build it they will come idea"?

    Sunday, March 27, 2016 Report this