PORTSMOUTH — Residents will get their first chance to share input on plans for the future Mt. Hope Park at a public meeting Wednesday, Feb. 1.
An informal drop-in gallery session …
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PORTSMOUTH — Residents will get their first chance to share input on plans for the future Mt. Hope Park at a public meeting Wednesday, Feb. 1.
An informal drop-in gallery session starting at 6 p.m. will precede the formal presentation from 7-9 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers at Portsmouth Town Hall.
In January 2016, the Town of Portsmouth and the Aquidneck Land Trust (ALT) purchased the property — just under 5 acres at the intersection of Bristol Ferry Road and Bayview Avenue that juts out into Mt. Hope Bay — for $900,000. Of that amount, $600,000 came from town funds allocated in the previous budget budget for bonding. The remaining $300,000 came from ALT.
ALT and the town plan to develop the property as a new, permanently conserved park land.
The property is not yet open to the public as it still needs to be restored and improved. The van Beuren Charitable Foundation has given Aquidneck Land Trust funding for a master planning process to ensure a design and planning for the park.
During the drop-in session on Feb. 1, project boards and team members will be on hand to meet with the public one on one. The formal presentation will be followed by facilitated break-out groups.
For more information, updates and how to get involved, visit www.mthopepark.com. Anyone with questions during the planning process may also contact Craig Pereira at cpereira@horsleywitten.com or 401/272-1717.
Former ferry landing
The site has a rich history dating back to the 1600s when it served as the ferry landing between Portsmouth and Bristol up until the construction of the Mt. Hope Bridge in 1929. A nearby sign marks the spot of the Bristol Ferry Town Common.
More recently, the property was the location of the former Mt. Hope Marina House, a popular restaurant that was destroyed by a fire set by arsonists in December 1985. The restaurant had been out of operation the previous four years due to an FBI investigation into allegations it was a drop-off spot for drug smugglers.
At a Town Council meeting in April 2016, some residents in the area questioned what could ultimately be permitted at the site, and expressed concerns over visitors parking in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Charles Allott, ALT’s executive director, said the conservation easement allows limited commercial rental income to be generated from the property. “You would have the right for people to rent a gazebo or something like that. There is no provision for the building of a commercial structure,” he said at that meeting.