Apex Seeks Time Extension For Pawucket 'Riverfront Commons' Plan

PAWTUCKET, RI —A tug-of-war over five downtown parcels will continue this week as the Apex Companies seeks a one-year extension of its approved 2015 master plan for a major retail development along I-95.

The master plan for the retail complex to be known as Riverfront Commons expires on July 1. The Pawtucket Planning Commission has already granted two extensions as a matter of vested right. Now Apex wants another extension, and under state law they must show "good cause." In an unusual move, Apex is requesting that the clock not start ticking on any one-year extension until all litigation and mediation is resolved.

Pawtucket Assistant City Planner Jay Rosa has recommended that if the commission does grant an extension, that a hard-and-fast date be imposed not linked to any mediation or litigation process. The commission will consider the request for extension at their Tuesday meeting scheduled for 6 p.m.

City of Pawtucket

The idea for a retail complex at Riverfront Commons was first floated in 2010, but Apex has not advanced the project. The city tried to make a deal with Apex to include the land in its massive public-private Tidewater Landing project, but that fell through. Previously the owners of the former Pawtucket Red Sox proposed a baseball stadium at the site. Those negotiations did not bear fruit.

In October, city officials declared that the land would be taken by eminent domain, if necessary, to further the city's vision of a "downtown gateway" including public access and mixed use development along the Seekonk River. “Years of regular, cordial, and good faith negotiations for purchase have, unfortunately, been unsuccessful,” Mayor Donald Grebien said at the time.

State and federal lawsuits are pending, and each side blames the other for the lack of progress.

Live in Pawtucket? Click here to subscribe to breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox and mobile devices. You can also download our Patch mobile app on Android or iPhone.

Apex lawyer Joshua W. Glass on May 27 wrote to Rosa saying it would be "wildly unfair" for the commission to deny an extension at this time, and claimed the city and Pawtucket Redevelopment Authority have stymied Apex at every turn.

"The City/PRA condcuct rendered reliance on the Master Plan impossible," Glass wrote. "No reasonable and prudent tenant or investor could or would proceed or invest under these conditions, and it would not be fair or reasonable to expect them to."

Patch on Monday reached out to Glass seeking comment.

The Planning Commission will meet via Zoom on June 15 at 6 p.m. the Meeting ID is 938 1555 4958. The passcode is 083427.