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Keeping Metacomet Green: A Moral Imperative

I believe the exasperation being expressed by so many East Providence residents regarding this proposal is not motivated by the clichéd sort of NIMBYism that typically accompanies large-scale development projects like this. There’s an altogether different feel to this. I believe the exasperation is motivated by a highly attuned sense of moral outrage at the circumstances surrounding this deal, a series of curious cascading events dating back several years: • • • The city charitably allowing the Golf Club to slip deeper and deeper into tax arrears; The drawing of the Census Tract 104 Opportunity one boundary, ostensibly a “low-income area,” as the arrears continued to pile up, and less than a year prior to the April 2019 acquisition of the Golf Club by a new ownership group; Grandiose promises made to a community, and publicly via the media, by the new ownership about plans to keep this property a functioning Golf Club and Open Space for generations to come; • The presence, on the potential new ownership/development team, of personalities for whom a reasonable case for recusal could be made, owing to their fingerprints on the aforementioned curiosities and others not listed herein. Rhode Islanders, as a collective people, have a very height

Rebecca N. Warr Ronald R. Warr, Jr. ened sense of when they’re getting a raw deal, dating back to the Gaspee Affair, and later when they became the first colony to renounce allegiance to King George III. East Providence residents, in particular, proved that they punch above their weight when they 47 Bullocks Point Avenue, East Providence, RI 02915 saved the Crescent Park Carousel and kept it spinning in situ, a (401) 437-2600 www.Warr-Warr.com carousel which by many scholarly opinions is the finest carousel still in operation in North America, and which was nearly destroyed by short-sighted greed. • Real Estate • Estate Planning The old adage is “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” The out• Personal Injury • Corporate Law rage towards this proposal stems from the moral imperative that good things (massive profit potential, for one party via a flip, and

Discount for Police, Veterans, Firefighters, Teachers & Nurses for the other party, via long-term large-scale development) should Licensed in RI, MA & CT not happen to people as a result of their failure to live up to their word. The sensation I’ve gotten from this Metacomet Affair is that

Welcome back to school! Have a great year. a game was played, where the rules of the game were “Heads, I win. Tails, you lose.” The people of East Providence are not willing to play this game. They have no patience for this game. They have no tolerance for this game. Not only are they not willing to play this game, they are willing to pillory anybody who dares to drag them into this game. That is the extent to which this community feels betrayed. It is a far cry from NIMBYism, as the comments I have read suggest the community would accept any number of developments in the city of East Providence, and even surrounding this neighborhood, or among the many abandoned storefronts or abandoned factories or cracked concrete pads along the waterfront. But demolishing this particular parcel, a pristine, marshy, green meadowland landscape, and positioning in its stead a new “Live, Work, Play” community abutting the modest homes of this particular neighborhood strikes many as a note far too sour, a chord far too harsh, especially at a time of a global pandemic, a looming potential for economic disaster, a tidal wave of economic retractions across a variety of represented industries, and the unknown political realities on the ground for the next eight to twelve years. Open Space was zoned Open Space for a reason all those years ago. East Providence racing to attach itself ever further to Thomsen Foodservice Providence’s concrete urbanization by shedding its presumably perpetual Open Space is a race that this community simply does Shop Where the Restaurants Shop! not want to run. Unlike the word of some, who make grandiose promises in the media about maintaining this property as an Open

September 2020 The Reporter 11 Space for “generations to come,” the word of this community actuas citizens, to insist that the process remain transparent. Therefore, ally has weight. Unlike the word of some, who will say one thing our city government must guarantee that whatever development and then do the exact opposite thing, the final word on this deal does occur heeds the following stipulations: belongs to the community. It is right and just that a community A portion of open space must be kept open and available for should cherish and protect its green, Open Space. It is their duty community use. to do so. The Open Space belongs to the community. It is the word The developed portion should be most suitable for the existof the community that will decide its fate. And the word of the coming environment – for instance, there is a need for housing in East munity is a resounding “No.” Providence. Ben Schwartz The developed portion should produce the greatest possible our city sadly cannot afford to take on the financial burden of buying and maintaining the entire parcel as open space.

Then we considered the idea of keeping Metacomet as a golf course. However, the country club have been its members, not the surrounding community. was inevitable. clubs, it is taxed as either open space or is currently home to FOUR golf courses. We must consider the financial burden this loss of tax revenue has created for our city.

So, what is our next best option? We believe our city is faced with a situation that is not entirely negative. It is imperative that our the needs of our community. It is our duty, return in tax dollars for the city-the offer the city is presently conWhat to do about Metacomet? As persons who were born and raised in East Providence, we were sad to learn that the beautiful Metacomet Country Club was closing and was sold to a private developer. As lifelong Townies, we find it hard to believe that anyone in our city would not wish that the entire property of Metacomet Country Club could be preserved as open space. If only…unfortunately, it is not that simple. We would like to share our thought processes here in hopes that we can come together as a community in a way that serves all. When we first contemplated the idea of keeping the entire property as open space, we quickly realized that doing so would not be feasible for many legitimate reasons: The property is privately owned. The very idea that a private business owner can be forced to sell its property to the government is repugnant to the freedom our country holds dear. Such action could destroy East Providence’s hope for economic growth as it would create grave concerns for any business that is considering a move to the city of East Providence. Why invest millions of dollars into a city that appears to be unfriendly? With the COVID crisis and the resultant economic hardship, DOLLARS. The developer and city government must guarantee that ANY development will not have a negative impact on the environment of the neighboring constituency. The city government must carefully consider the history and reputation of any proposed developer before any commitments are entered into. The city does not need another development fiasco like the Geonova debacle. (It is our understanding that Marshall Construction, a locally owned East Providence business, has a stellar reputation and it appears that they are willing to work with the city government.) Most of all, we ask that, as citizens of East Providence, we accept the limitations of our reality and work together to do what is best for our city. We can compromise what we wish for and balance it against what we can afford. Accusations, innuendo and castigation of those with opposing views on social media are totally non-productive. Let us stay the course and move forward together towards a positive resolution to this vexing problem. Manny and Stephanie Vinhateiro svinhateiro@gmail.com

there are several considerations that do not Warming up the Community support this possibility: First, Metacomet County Club has never THE AREA’S LARGEST SHOWROOM been open to the public for all to enjoy. It was a private club for members only. So, in realty, those who have benefited most from  Second, Metacomet, as a privately owned golf course is no longer a viable business. It has been suffering financial   hardship for some time. Consequently, sale of the private property to a developer     Third, as a country club, Metacomet has not greatly contributed to the revenue tax base of the city since, as with many country  farmland. Our neighboring municipalities    
(Barrington and Pawtucket) each host only ONE private country club. East Providence 

city government work with a private buyer that is willing to consider and incorporate 775 Fall RiverAvenue, Seekonk, MA sidering proposes an ANNUAL tax revenue to the city of 8 MILLION

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