North Kingstown Celebrates Opening Of 'Green' Apartments

Backhoes and bulldozers continued plowing through work as a swarm of people arrived at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Kingstown Crossing apartments Friday morning. Residents, delegates, members of Crossroads and others were on hand to celebrate the much-awaited presentation.

“We envisioned a community that everyone and anyone would be proud to call home,” said Crossroads President Anne Nolan.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the fourth new building, the first to call McConnell Court (named for recently appointed Federal Judge John “Jack” McConnell) home. On March 18, 18 families moved into their homes on Sutton Lane in a matter of just 10 days. Also on hand were Crossroads board members  Rep. James Langevin, Senator Jack Reed, Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, State General Treasurer Gina Raimondo, McConnell and  Rhode Island Housing’s Executive Director Richard Godfrey.

“We’re here to celebrate two things we need more of in Rhode Island – affordable housing and people working,” said Reed. According to Reed, the new complex will house 104 families with the entire construction project representing 300 jobs.

The new apartments will replace the decades-old buildings on Navy Drive, constructed in the 1960s to house members of the Navy stationed in Quonset. The new 104 units will all be LEED certified and energy efficient, replacing the older inefficient units that still run on electric heat.

For the 18 families who moved in to the new units in March, they have already seen a change in their utility bills. According to Godfrey, these families have seen a 25 percent drop in electricity costs and 30 percent drop in gas costs since this time last year.

“It’s money in the pockets of residents,” said Godfrey.

Crossroads resident Betty White and husband Steve agree. According to White, her family has already seen electricity drop by $100 and gas by $65. For White, the move is more than just savings on a utility bill: it’s an opportunity to start anew.

“It has become more than a home,” said White. “It has become an opportunity to better our lives and the lives of our children.”

Though Crossroads broke ground on the new project only a year ago, the road to the inaugural ground breaking and Friday’s ceremony was a long and bumpy one. With obstacles such as discovering that the United States Air Force actually owned the 13 acres where Crossroads sits to other funding setbacks, the project was stalled for a few years prior to getting the green light last year. Thanks in part to efforts by Reed, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, Crossroads received $5.5 million in federal funding, making up 40 percent of the $13.7 million needed to complete the project. In addition, Rhode Island Housing pitched in nearly $8.6 million for the development with additional financing from Bank Rhode Island, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Housing Resources Commission, Home Depot Foundation, Fannie Mae Foundation, the Town of North Kingstown and Enterprise Corporation for Supportive Housing.