SMITHFIELD – The million-square-foot warehousing project Stillwater Distribution, proposed on 295 George Washington Highway, has several prospective tenants lined up, according to attorney Michael Kelly, who says the buildings may be scaled back based on tenants’ need.
Kelly said during the May 18 Planning Board meeting that the tenants will ultimately decide the size of the project. The board heard another round of testimony for the development from engineers and architects regarding parking, traffic mitigation, landscaping and site plans.
Stillwater Distribution plans include a million-square-foot building with an accompanying 120,000-square-foot building on 91 acres off George Washington Highway.
Peter Kilty, a representative of owners Wharton Smithfield, said several tenants are in the market for a smaller building, but want the building solely to be their own. He said the development’s phasing would allow for changes, as the first phase will consist of site work and the following phases include constructing the buildings.
Kilty said the one-million-square-foot building may be broken down into a smaller, 600,000-square-foot or 700,000-square-foot building. If that is the case, Kilty said a smaller third building could be created using the remaining 300,000 square feet.
The possibility of using solar paneling to help power the facility will be up to the tenants as well, said Kilty.
“Some don’t like the solar panels on the roof. It makes it hard to replace, especially on a building of this size,” he said.
Kelly said some tenants are considering solar. He said the project is nearing the end of the road when it comes to coming before the Planning Board, and will seek preliminary plan approval at the June 15 meeting, one step before final plan approval.
Much of the May 18 presentation focused on stormwater runoff plans presented by Eric Prive of DiPrete Engineering. He said abutter Anthony Capo of Fiberglass Fabricators Inc. previously expressed concerns about flooding coming from the site onto his lot. Capo previously testified that stormwater from the site runs through a culvert running beneath his driveway and sends stormwater runoff into his parking lot up to the front door of his business.
During the meeting, Capo said the Planning Board requested that developers visit his facility and see the situation for themselves.
“Never happened,” Capo said.
The runoff is harming his business, he said, and he needs some relief. Capo said it’s happened for years, and his complaints to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management and Department of Transportation have fallen on deaf ears.
Planning Board Chairperson Al Gizzarelli said the problem does not necessarily begin with the Stillwater Distribution site, and Capo should not blame other developments for his problems.
Prive said developers looked at Capo’s concerns about flooding and offered solutions.
“Stormwater is mitigated and treated on site, then metered out at pre-development levels,” Prive said.
Stillwater Distribution’s stormwater runoff plan also features multiple catch basins on site and Prive said the warehouse roofs will be fitted with a system directing water into its water treatment system.
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