The development proposed for the corner of State and Thames streets will tower over 48 feet high along 180 feet of Thames Street, from Gillary’s to the State Street corner, and then up State Street a distance of over 77 feet.

It will pack 20 residential units, a restaurant, retail, a private pool and unspecified other rooftop use(s) on a lot less than 20,000 square feet. It will overwhelm nearly every other structure in the immediate area, where two to two-and-a-half stories predominate. It will cast a mountain of shade on the streetscape and add unnecessary traffic and congestion in an already compact downtown area.

The town’s maximum building height in the waterfront district is 35 feet. The maximum number of residential units, depending on how they are creatively counted, is five.

Yet, in order to take advantage of $1,760,000 in RI Commerce Corporation tax credits, incentives and reimbursements already awarded for the project, the size of this development must meet the 20-unit minimum. As a result, the height, mass and density of this project are far above and beyond the character and use pattern of the historic downtown.

Although the minimum number of off-street parking spaces are being provided for the residential units, if the project is a success, residents, guests and restaurant/event patrons will commandeer numerous additional public parking spaces.

Effectively, the state tax credits are aiding and abetting a project the scope and mass of which will run roughshod over established development limitations and centuries of appropriate land use.

Right-sized and responsibly designed, this project can be an asset to Bristol’s historic downtown, rather than a Rushmore to greed and monumentally poor planning.

Stephen DeLeo
2 High St., Bristol