The East Providence Waterfront Commission recently set into motion the substantive review process of the initial design submissions for the redevelopment of the former Metacomet Country Club on Veterans Memorial Parkway.

The Commission, at its December 2023 meeting, announced a public meeting of its Design Review sub-committee on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber at City Hall. Two nights later, Thursday, Feb. 15, at the same time and location, the Commission will hold its monthly forum, which also includes comments from the community.

The preliminary plans for "The Met...Golf Links and Modern Coastal District," as it now formally named, portend the potential construction of 890 residential units, 153,000-square feet of retail space to include a "town center" anchored by a grocery store and a promenade as well as restoration nine holes of the old golf course on the land south nearest to the Watchemoket Cove.

The 138-acre Metacomet parcel touches not only the Parkway, but also South Broadway, Fisher Street, Fort Street and Lyon Avenue. Approximately 50 acres around the Metacomet Brook/Watchemoket Cove, which is where the nine-hole course will remain, can’t be developed for environmental reasons. The golf course on the east side of the property and 10 acres of open space bequeathed to the city running on north side would be used as buffers from the surrounding residences.

Waterfront Commission Chairman Bill Fazioli said residents "are welcome to attend, listen, ask questions and voice their opinions" on the Metacomet plans at both of the upcoming sub-committee and full commission meetings.

City resident and renowned local architect Steve Amoroso, who has served in a similar capacity on both recent East Providence School District building subcommittees, is the chair of the Commission's Design Review sub-group. Fazioli, as he has done several times in the past, reiterated all of the current members of the Waterfront Commission live in the city.

"This is going to be the first of several meetings on this particular project just because of the scale of it and the volume of information that needs to be reviewed," Fazioli said.

He continued of the Metacomet proposal from owner Marshall Properties and its associates, "It's probably the largest development of its kind in the city's history. It's going to require a lot of review by the Commission and the staffs of many city departments."

In addition to the Waterfront Commission and municipal department reviews, Fazioli said the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, the Rhode Island Scenic Roadways Board, the state Coastal Resources Management Council and the Rhode Island Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission are among the other entities who will offer opinions on the project.

"We're going to put ads in the paper. The abutters will receive the information in the mail. We're going to follow the same procedures as we always do with any project," Fazioli added.

Asked if the meetings, like those of the City Council and School Committee, will be live streamed due to the significant interest shown by the public on the matter, the chairman said, "We're working with the city to streamed. Nothing is finalized yet. We're trying to finalize the arrangements."

Fazioli noted already the project has received significant scrutiny. The Commission has required the developers to produce six impact studies. For the first time, its sought noise, public safety and archeological reports at the initial submission stage.

The archeological review, performed by The Public Archaeology Laboratory, Inc., did find the upper portions of the Metacomet property where the development is planned is "are assessed as archaeologically sensitive" and would require further study.

Digging into more of the details, the developers also seemingly desire to create one, if not two, roundabouts on Parkway at the approach to the site, including one at Lyon Avenue, which runs along the north side of the property.

As for other specifics, the grocery store would be 85,000 sf. The other retail/entertainment spaces would include restaurants, a smaller coffee shop-esque operation, a bank, a potential child care location and other mixed-use options. The residential component could include as many as seven apartment buildings, three senior living buildings, a six-unit townhome grouping, a 12-unit townhome, duplex townhomes and residential garage spaces.

"There are a lot of new elements to this development," Fazioli added. "It's going to be a very long process to get our arms around the impact to the community as a whole and to the surrounding neighborhood specifically."

Fazioli touted the recently recreated page on the Waterfront Commission's website, https://www.eastprovidencewaterfront.com/projects, dedicated specifically to the Metacomet proposal.

"There's links to all of the information, the documents that's been submitted so far is available on the site," Fazioli added. "This is going to be a very process like we've done with every other project of which the Commission has had oversight. The public is going to be able to comment, voice their opinion. It's an open process."