Costco Proposal in Cranston Sparks Opposition - Mayoral Candidates Weigh In
GoLocalProv News Team
Costco Proposal in Cranston Sparks Opposition - Mayoral Candidates Weigh In
City Councilman and mayoral candidate Kenneth Hopkins says that the outpouring of neighborhood opposition at the site walk for the Costco ensures that the project “will not see the light of day.”
“I applaud the residents of Oak Hill Terrace, Garden Hills and Mayfield who took the time on a warm summer night to let city officials know, with their active presence, that the Costco project is too big and out of place for the area,” Hopkins stated.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“The developer should not go away mad but should indeed go away,” said Hopkins. “The City of Cranston wants and needs well planned and sensible economic development projects.”
Hopkins says “this project was neither.”
Hopkins said that his primary opponent Michael Farina had “finally come over to the people’s side.”
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“The mark of a real leader is to identify early the viability of a project, its place in the community and to reflect the people’s will. Mr. Farina has failed on all those points,” said Hopkins.
“While some of us were supporting the neighbors, Mr. Farina was protecting the out of state developer and his CVS business ally attorney John Bolton," said Hopkins, who has repeatedly criticized Farina's relationship with Bolton.
Farina who had initially refused to take a position on the project, on Sunday said told GoLocal, “I support responsible development; however, the Costco development proposal in its current state as outlined by the developer last Tuesday in the walk-thru is not acceptable in its current form. I am not opposed to the development of a Costco in Cranston if the proposal fits the property, and the surrounding neighborhoods will not be impacted negatively."
Bucci attended the site walk-through and said, “I have been listening to the community and appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the Costco project by touring the site. I have come to the conclusion that for this project to move forward, we must find an alternative location that will work for the community and the developers. Our development decisions must be made in the best interest of everyone. A project of this magnitude would help develop our economy as well as create good paying jobs for Cranston residents. It is critical that we get this right.”
Former Councilor Bucci said, “I support the city making a strategic acquisition of this green space and creating a public park for Cranston residents to enjoy, complete with walking paths, benches, a playground for children, and a fenced-in dog park. We could also include a community garden and plant additional trees. If we want to be serious about climate change and protecting our environment then we need to focus on preserving green space in our city.”
Councilor Steve Stycos — Bucci’s rival for the Democratic nomination also opposes the project.
"I oppose the Costco proposal. Building a big box store with seven acres of parking on undeveloped land is the opposite of smart growth, despite the developer's claims. According to the non-profit, Smart Growth America, this project fails to meet even one of the ten principles that define smart growth projects. It is not walkable. It destroys open space. It is not compact," said Stycos.
"It should be dumped into the trash pile of damaging projects along with the Cumberland Farms gas station proposed for Edgewood and unregulated massive solar power facilities in western Cranston," he added.