I remember the event, although the exact date escapes me.

I placed a call to the mayor’s office and breathlessly he came on the line to inform me that the Rhode Island Airport Corporation would be signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) relative to the construction of a $100-million air cargo facility. The agreement would demand a means for tractor-trailer trucks to access the Airport Connector without using local roads.

The mayor was giddy. In that moment I realized he didn’t think the city would get a signed agreement, although RIAC had orally agreed to the condition. He had stood by what he believed was right for the city and wanted it in writing. State government leaders had listened. He had won one for the city.

The incident came to mind as the editorial staff talked about highlighting the top stories of 2024 for a year in review that Beacon reporter Adam Zangari ably covers in today’s edition.

The airport has been and will continue to be a major story in Warwick. It affects so much of the city, from the mere fact that it’s plunked in the middle of the city, prompting traffic to rotate around it, to the noise of departing and arriving aircraft that will increase with more passenger and cargo flights. It is also a significant economic generator, creating hundreds if not thousands of spin-off jobs and the development of hotels and the long dreamed-of City Centre.

 Have you not seen the 214-unit Class A apartment complex that seemingly overnight mushroomed from the former LAZ 6.5-acre parking lot on Post Road adjacent to the Airport Connector? It wouldn’t have happened without a 15-year delayed schedule in setting appraised value of the development for tax purposes. The developer said without that provision of the Intermodal Zone, the project would not have been financially practical.

I’ve been asked why a developer, in this case Wood Partners, with a portfolio of more than 20,000 apartments in 20 states, would build Class A apartments there. The complex will offer some high-priced amenities including a pool, gym and a limited number of garages. But who is going to pay high rents, by Rhode Island standards, to be in an apartment overlooking the airport, Amtrak, the Airport Connector and Route 95? It just doesn’t make sense that a developer would spend tens of millions to build apartments there.

The key words in the preceding paragraph are “by Rhode Island standards.”

A partial answer lies in what would appear to be an unrelated event earlier this month at the Crowne Plaza, the Rhode Island Authors Expo. There I met Jeanne K. Cosmos, a middle-age woman who is teaching college classes and writes murder mysteries. She is a recent Warwick resident, having moved here from Cambridge. What she found in Warwick was a home with a yard, albeit with low-flying jets overhead, for less than $500,000, that would have cost twice as much if not more in Cambridge.

While Wood Partners say it’s too early to market the Warwick apartments, I think it’s a safe bet the rent will be less than a comparative unit in Boston. And clearly the apartment’s proximity to Route 95, the airport and MBTA rail service is a plus.

But it’s not all about easy access. It’s also a matter of the community. Despite the traffic and aircraft noise, Warwick has a lot to offer, from its schools to its waterfront and most notably its neighborhoods.

As Mayor Picozzi recognizes, with the benefits of development also come costs. He has sought to minimize them in the case of airport expansion

There were many stories in 2024: the ongoing saga of building new high schools seemingly without sufficient funds, the expenditure of millions of state and city dollars to rebuild roads and an election that saw four council incumbents choosing not to seek reelection, with City Council President Steve McAllister being one of them. McAllister also dropped out as a possible Democratic mayoral candidate.

Whether the Rhode Island Airport Corporation succeeds in building an access to the Airport Connector for air-cargo tractor-trailer trucks remains to be seen. The mayor believes with an MOU, RIAC has no choice but to build or lose FAA funding for the cargo facility.

We will see. Nonetheless, this doesn’t diminish his stand to protect Warwick as a livable city. It’s a 2024 story that could have long-range impacts.