Purchase and sale approval clears way for ‘pocket neighborhood’ in Barrington

Deal: FJS Associates buys 1.75 acres for $1, and will build 12 condo units

Posted 1/17/25

The Barrington Town Council recently approved a purchase and sale agreement for a portion of the former Carmelite monastery property.  

At the Jan. 13 meeting, the council voted 5-0 to …

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Purchase and sale approval clears way for ‘pocket neighborhood’ in Barrington

Deal: FJS Associates buys 1.75 acres for $1, and will build 12 condo units

Posted

The Barrington Town Council recently approved a purchase and sale agreement for a portion of the former Carmelite monastery property. 

At the Jan. 13 meeting, the council voted 5-0 to approve the draft agreement between the town, which owns the seven-acre property located on Watson Avenue, and the developer, FJS Associates, Ltd. 

The purchase and sale agreement, once signed, will give FJS Associates and its owner, Frank Spinella, 1.75 acres of the land. 

FJS Associates is expected to build a “pocket neighborhood” that will feature 12 condominium units. All of the units will be age-restricted to people 55 and older, and five of the units will be deed-restricted low- to moderate-income. 

The purchase and sale agreement states that FJS Associates will pay the town $1 for the property, which overlooks Narragansett Bay. 

As part of the deal, the town also agrees to pay for the demolition of the former monastery building. 

The pocket neighborhood is only one part of the planned development. The town will sell off six, single-family house lots in the future. The town will also turn about two acres of the property into a public park. 

During the Jan. 13 meeting, Barrington Town Council President Braxton Cloutier would not allow public comments during a discussion about the Watson Avenue property and the purchase and sale agreement. Cloutier said there had already been extensive public comment on the topic.

Amy Goins, an assistant solicitor for the town, offered a brief summary of Watson Avenue property. She said the purchase and sale was the culmination of several years of work, more recently spearheaded by the town manager, Phil Hervey, the town solicitor’s office, and the developer and his legal counsel. 

Goins said a memorandum of understanding was executed between the town and FJS Associates’ Frank Spinella in April 2024. A short time later, at the Barrington FTM, voters approved the demolition of the monastery building. 

Goins told the council members that the town and the developer have been working together for the past few months in anticipation of the purchase and sale being executed. 

“This will allow the ball to really start rolling so that we can get going on this development,” Goins said. 

Cloutier opened up the discussion to his fellow council members, but no one offered any comments. Cloutier then made a motion to approve the purchase and sale agreement. Councilor Liana Cassar seconded the motion, which passed by a 5-0 vote. 

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Jim McGaw

A lifelong Portsmouth resident, Jim graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1982 and earned a journalism degree from the University of Rhode Island in 1986. He's worked two different stints at East Bay Newspapers, for a total of 18 years with the company so far. When not running all over town bringing you the news from Portsmouth, Jim listens to lots and lots and lots of music, watches obscure silent films from the '20s and usually has three books going at once. He also loves to cook crazy New Orleans dishes for his wife of 25 years, Michelle, and their two sons, Jake and Max.