Mayor Frank Picozzi has yet to sign a memorandum of understanding on Rhode Island Airport Corporation plans for a $100 million air cargo hub south of the terminal that until recently has largely been used for long term parking.

However, ever since Gov. Dan McKee called the parties together, the mayor’s tone has changed.

“It’s the way I wanted to do it from the beginning,” Picozzi said Thursday. From the first announcement of the project, the mayor wanted air cargo vehicles, especially tractor trailer trucks, to access the facility from airport connector rather than using either Main Avenue or Post Road. His concern is that the trucks would inhibit the development of City Centre – that stretch sandwiched between the airport and west of Jefferson Boulevard – into a pedestrian friendly center with a mix of residential, commercial and hotel developments.

Although RIAC promised to divert the trailer trucks to the connector, as well as extend an earthen berm to insulate the neighborhood south of Strawberry Field Road West from the air cargo hub, Picozzi insisted it be part of the environmental assessment approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. When that didn’t happen, the city retained outside legal services to review the FAA’s finding of no significant impact of the project that virtually gave RIAC the go ahead. The appeal for a review set the stage for a battle.

“We’re cooperating now,” Picozzi said. Part of that may have to do with a couple of Philly steak and cheese sandwiches, which Picozzi usually orders when dining at Chelo’s on Post Road across from the airport. That’s where RIAC board chair Jon Savage met for lunch following the meeting called by Governor McKee. Picozzi ordered his favorite – the Philly cheese steak sandwich - and Savage did the same.

There was more to the menu than discussion over traffic patterns although from what Picozzi reports there has been clarification over what exactly the mayor would like to see happen. Initially, Picozzi didn’t want UPS and FedEx trucks using either Main Avenue or Post Road to access the cargo hub. But with the plan to make some distributions directly from the cargo hub with vans and small trucks, Picozzi said it makes no sense to require a van making deliveries to Warwick Neck for example to use the connector to get to Route 95 and then get off to connect with Main Avenue – a drive of more than a mile – when there is direct access to Main Avenue from the facility. The same holds true with deliveries off Post Road. What’s the point of having vans use the connector to exit on Route 37 and circle back on Post Road?

Picozzi’s concern is with trailer trucks and fleets of vans and smaller trucks accessing the cargo hub.

A roundabout under design to enable trucks to access the connector from airport property appears to answer that issue. Nonetheless, Picozzi aims to meet with UPS and FedEx representatives to get a full explanation of activities planned at the hub, times of operation and means of access. Picozzi wants to minimize commercial traffic in City Centre that is slated to see significant residential development.

Also discussed over Philly cheese steak sandwiches were city rights of way along the project at the Station 8 fire station on Post Road. Rather than giving up those rights of way, Picozzi talks about leasing them to RIAC. As for the fire station, which is on RIAC land the mayor is looking to adjust payments due RIAC…”to do whatever works out best financially for the city,” he said.

Picozzi doesn’t expect to sign an MOU until provisions for the traffic, the extension of the noise berm and other provisions being discussed are part of the environmental assessment approved by the FAA.