Stuart’s is finally ready for revival

It was vacant for 18 years before whispers indicated that Stuart’s Plaza might have a buyer. Saletin Real Estate Group expressed interest in the Hartford Avenue property in 2009 and began seeking approvals for a tax increment financing (TIF) project.

With approvals granted, demolition was still just beginning one year later, and the plaza seemed barely closer to development. Years passed with no visible activity. Some residents expressed doubts that the unsightly stretch of broken blacktop and rundown buildings would ever be inhabited.

Mayor Joseph Polisena wasn’t one of the skeptics.

“I learned a long time ago from my grandmother that sometimes good things take time. I knew it would happen,” he said. “I had faith and trust in Jeff Saletin, and he had faith and trust in this community.”

Last week, Saletin put that faith into action, announcing that construction is ready to begin at what will be the new Johnston Towne Center at 1450 Hartford Avenue. Saletin’s company has awarded a $1 million construction contract to Johnston-based Cleri Construction.

“We, the developer, have hired Cleri Construction Corporation, and they have already begun the job,” Saletin said.

As Cleri tears down light poles and fixtures, those items are being donated to the town for future use at town facilities, potentially local athletic fields.

Saletin admitted that it sometimes takes longer than people would like to get a development off the ground. He thanked the administration and the Town Council for their cooperation. In particular, Saletin Real Estate was anxious to see roadway improvements in front of the plaza.

“Now there are four lanes in front of the shopping center plus two additional turning lanes at the signal, and that signal is now aligned with the entrance with what is now the Job Lot,” Saletin said. “That really helped.”

Two companies have already committed to relocating to the Towne Center plaza. Price Rite supermarket will anchor the center with a 40,000-square-foot store, and BankRI will move its Johnston branch to a new 3,100-square-foot building on a street-front pad site. Both buildings are scheduled to open as early as this summer, with BankRI construction expected to be complete in May.

Price Rite will occupy a portion of the existing Stuart’s building. The current structure is closer to 63,000 square feet, which will be demolished to 40,000-square-foot dimensions. Demolition will take the building apart to its steel shell and slab and rebuild from that.

BankRI’s new building will be closer to the street, directly in front of Price Rite, with the existing traffic light on its right. On the other side of the main egress, occupants have not yet been confirmed, but there are spaces for a 4,500-square-foot restaurant, a 6,000-square-foot retail space, a 12,800-square-foot retail space and renovations of the existing building that is divided into 8,500-square-foot and 16,000-square-foot retail spaces. The divided building has the potential to expand by another 6,500 square feet if necessary. The plaza as a whole features more than 500 parking spaces.

Saletin said a sign looking for tenants would be up in three to four weeks, though he believes finding tenants will not be a problem.

“There is a lot of interest in retail and restaurant space at the site,” he said. “We think the project will just continue nonstop.”

In fact, Saletin believes Johnston Towne Center could be fully occupied and functional by the summer of 2014.

“Johnston is a place where retailers want to be. From our perspective, I think the key to this development is for this to go from a white elephant, a blighted area, and turn it into an area that will open it up and grow the entire region,” Saletin said.

He doesn’t want to speculate too much about potential occupants, but he is hopeful that a restaurant could be in the near future for the town. The pad site is zoned for a drive-thru if a business wants to take advantage of that.

Polisena, too, would like to see a restaurant. He has long advocated for a hotel on that site, though the feasibility of such a proposal remains to be seen. Regardless, the mayor said that additional development would bring traffic and consumers into the area, providing a boon for nearby businesses.

“It’s going to benefit the entire area. It’s good competition,” he said. “This is the center of our town; this is going to put us on the map even further. I get excited when I drive by.”

Polisena added that many residents have expressed excitement over Price Rite, noting that there is not much competition in the area for supermarket shopping. On the Sun Rise Facebook page, we asked readers what they would like to see there, and several people requested restaurants, including Uncle Tony’s, Red Lobster, 5 Guys, Newport Creamery, IHOP, Starbucks and Pinkberry. Other suggestions included Christmas Tree Shoppe, A.C. Moore and even a karate school, suggested by Derderian Academy owner Raffi Derderian.

All of those possibilities, Polisena says, would bring jobs to the area, including some part-time work that could help local students.

“This is a blue-collar, working community. It’s going to create jobs,” he said.

When asked if he is worried about additional traffic to the already congested area near Atwood and Hartford Avenues, Polisena said no. The plaza already has a traffic light and turning lanes, and the only other egress is a right turn only.

“That road was restructured, reconfigured, and it was done with that purpose. It’s ready to go,” he said.