Tarbox Looks To Build New Dealership On Quaker Lane

Yet another business looks to vacate its lot on Post Road but, this time, the plans have been in the works for years.

has sat in its corner lot at the intersection of Post Road and Devils Foot Road for years. In 2007, owner Ed Tarbox realized something the dealership had outgrown its property and needed some room to stretch its legs. Now, nearly four years later, the ball is rolling once again as the North Kingstown Planning Commission decided to grant a positive recommendation to the Town Council Tuesday allowing the auto dealership to relocate to Quaker Lane.

“My business is what we call a destination location,” said Tarbox. “We can’t survive on just being in North Kingstown or East Greenwich. I need to be somewhere where people from South County can access and up through Johnston can access. This new location would open up that market to me.”

The new, 12-acre lot goes from up to the East Greenwich line near the medical building, with Quaker Lane to the east and Route 4 to the west. For Tarbox, the accessibility to the highway and visibility from it were critical in the choice of location.

“With the infrastructure with Route 403 that’s come in and what the town wants to do with the corridor, it became apparent that my business wasn’t going to fit the aesthetic,” said Tarbox.

The multimillion dollar project would erect a three-story facility, including a café, play areas for children and even an area for women to get their nails done while their car is serviced. Tarbox also said the new facility would be environmentally friendly, including the elimination of trench drains and the addition of roof runoff water for irrigation.

After years of delays, Tarbox is anxious to begin construction as many of his competitors have built new facilities while Tarbox battled obstacles like variances and lack of public water in the Quaker Lane corridor. To remedy the latter, Tarbox has set up an agreement with the Kent County Water Authority to lay down water lines to the western side of Quaker Lane to service the new dealership. Currently, the KCWA’s lines only run to the town lines abutting the new Tarbox property.

For Tarbox, remaining in North Kingstown was critical, both from an economic standpoint and a personal one as his family started the Tarbox dealership in the 1920s on Boston Neck Road past Wickford.

The matter will now go before the Town Council for a decision.