H  O  U  S  E     R  E  S  O  L  U  T  I  O  N

REQUESTING THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO PROHIBIT DIRECT ACCESS TO COWESETT ROAD FROM THE FORMER WARWICK MUSICAL THEATER PROPERTY AND PRESERVE BONOFF PARK

WHEREAS, The health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the City of Warwick are matters of paramount importance to the City Council; and

WHEREAS, The Bonoff family has made a generous open space donation to the City of Warwick of approximately 18.5 acres of land worth over two million dollars; and

WHEREAS, The unprecedented donation was contingent upon the Bonoff family receiving permission from the City of Warwick to change the City's Comprehensive Plan to allow the conversion of the current Warwick Musical Theatre to a Lowe's Home Improvement Center, and to allow the conversion of 18.5 acres of commercially and residentially zoned property to open space; and

WHEREAS, The Warwick City Council and then Mayor Lincoln Chafee unanimously approved the above-referenced conversion contingent upon Lowe's Home Improvement Center not having access to a residential and rural road known as Cowesett Road; and

WHEREAS, The Warwick City Council and then Mayor Lincoln Chafee unanimously named this open space land donation Bonoff Park in honor of the late Burton "Buster" Bonoff; and

WHEREAS, The City of Warwick recently spent $430,000 to purchase the 63 acre Dawley Farm, which is adjacent to Bonoff Park, to preserve open space, prevent future development near Route 2 and protect the quality of life in our neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, The goal of the City of Warwick was to create a combined open space preserve of over 80 acres near the already congested Route 2 section of Warwick; and

WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is currently demanding that if the Bonoff family does not establish access to Cowesett Road, RIDOT will not allow Lowe's Home Improvement Center to have access to Route 2; and

WHEREAS, The Bonoff family has advised the City that neither they nor Lowe's, need access to Cowesett Road and that they agree with the City that this residential/rural road should remain undisturbed; and

WHEREAS, The civil engineering firm of Cataldo Associates has prepared a detailed Traffic Engineering Report using data collected by RIDOT, the civil engineering firm of Crossman Engineering, and traffic volume data collected as recently as July, 1999; and

WHEREAS, The civil engineering firm of Cataldo Associates has concluded that requiring the Bonoff family/Lowe's to have both access to Cowesett Road and Route 2 would not improve the traffic flow patterns on Route 2 and in one case actually impeded the traffic flow on Route 2, compared with access onto Route 2 at a shared entrance with Metropolitan Insurance Company; and

WHEREAS, The Bonoff family has advised the City that because of the arbitrary and capricious ruling of RIDOT that Lowe's is in the process of rescinding its offer to lease said property which would then prevent the Bonoff family from being financially able to donate the land for Bonoff Park to the City; and

WHEREAS, The City is concerned that the loss of 18.5 acres of open space near Route 2 would open the way for future development which would affect the quality of life of our neighborhoods, create additional traffic on Route 2, and harm the environment; and

WHEREAS, The City recognizes the accomplishments of the Rhode Island General Assembly and the Governor of the State of Rhode Island in recognizing and preserving open space throughout our great State; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island request that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation withdraw its demands for access to Cowesett Road, Warwick, Rhode Island; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he is hereby authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation of the State of Rhode Island.