McKee and Grebien Kick Off Controversial Soccer Stadium

McKee and Grebien Kick Off Controversial Soccer Stadium

The controversial Pawtucket soccer stadium moved one step forward on Friday. Governor Dan McKee, Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien and Brett Johnson of Fortuitous Partners conducted a groundbreaking on Tidewater Landing, multi-use development on Pawtucket’s waterfront.

Johnson leads the development group.

The site is a former contaminated industrial site that is being remediated for the proposed stadium for minor league soccer.

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Mike McNally, a former corprorate officer for the global construction company Skanska and Commerce Corporation board member Tweeted on Tuesday, “Actually the deal that was approved 18 months ago did pay for itself. It included housing, commercial, retail, parking garage, & stadium. Then the developer came back & asked that the $60m subsidy be moved to support only the stadium. That doesn’t come close to paying for itself.”

McNally voted against the deal in his role as a board member and has been raising issues and criticizing the deal on social media for weeks.

 

Path to Groundbreaking

In late July, the stadium and adjacent development was approved by the Rhode Island Commerce board by the narrowest of votes — 6-5 with the chair, McKee, voting in the affirmative, breaking the tie and giving the project the green light.

The project was originally proposed by former Governor Gina Raimondo and has seen numerous setbacks.

Originally pitched as a $400 million project, the proposal has been scaled back -- and the developer of the project, Fortuitous Partners, has repeatedly refused to provide specific updates on the scale of the proposal.

Friday’s press opportunity reinforced the questions about the project that the state and the developers continue to refuse to answer.

Those questions include the total cost of the stadium project, the source of funding for the developers and what is the status of the other proposed elements of the project — apartments, retail, and parking garage.

 

McKee Defends Project

"With strong taxpayer protections, this project is going to spur economic development and momentum in Pawtucket and across Rhode Island," said McKee. "The Tidewater Project will not only create jobs in the Blackstone Valley but it will also create a new destination for Rhode Island. I'm proud that we're breaking ground on the stadium today and our team stands ready to continue working with the developer and city to launch the next phase of this project."

McKee’s primary opponents, Nellie Gorbea, Helena Foulkes, and Matt Brown have all raised questions about the deal but, in recent weeks, have said little.