EPA Region 1 – Thames Street Landing, Bristol, Rhode Island

Photography by Miles Avenue Property Co., LLC and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management

The Thames Street Landing is an $8.3 million mixed-use development consisting of retail establishments, restaurant, pub, offices, a 40-room inn, and apartments. Situated along the Bristol waterfront area, the Thames Street Landing is a central part of the town’s revitalization plan that reconnects the city with its historic harbor.

Area Before Redevelopment

Site During Construction

Site After Development

View from Site After Development

Once the center of commerce and maritime activity, The Thames Street Landing was vacant for three years before site redevelopment began in 1999. Located at the State Street Pier, its 200-year history is reflected in several of the extant buildings – the original brick Bank of Bristol (1797), the wooden William Taylor Store (1798), Byron Diman’s Counting House (1800), and the stone DeWolf Warehouse (1818). Subsequent uses of the site beginning in 1861 included various businesses primarily dealing in coal, wood, and lumber. Not only was this site important in Colonial times, but the acreage was also the cornerstone of the Town of Bristol’s plan to redevelop its waterfront for the modern uses of hotels, restaurants, shops, and a perimeter boardwalk to restore public access to the water.

Contamination at the Thames Street Landing site appeared to be historic in nature - consisting of lead, arsenic, petroleum, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – resulting from the production of coal, coke, and other marine uses at the site. The primary contaminated area was a slip location used for unloading boats and subsequently filled in. Soil contamination was discovered during the removal of two leaking underground storage tanks as well as around a former drywell. Between 15,000 and 20,000 yards of contaminated soil identified throughout the property required either removal or encapsulation.

Obtaining financing for the development was the most significant challenge in redeveloping Thames Street Landing. Since the developers were relatively small with no prior history of development work, most lending institutions refused to consider the project. When the developers found a bank willing to support them, the remediation plan was drafted to protect the bank from liability in the event that all phases of the project were not completed. The development plan included completion in three phases, with the majority of the site remediated by capping the residual contamination, partly with the hotel building foundation. The bank was unwilling to provide additional funding to complete the second phase foundation until the first phase of the project generated a positive cash flow. By working with environmental regulators, an alternate remediation plan was established and accepted by the State of Rhode Island to allow for capping of the site if future phases did not proceed.

The physical location of the site in a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) velocity flood zone presented additional significant issues for the redevelopment of Thames Street Landing. Navigating the conflicting requirements between historic restoration and the structural requirements for restoring and building new structures in such a flood zone was also a challenge. Innovative design approaches and compromises between regulatory agencies produced results that permitted the exact restoration of historic buildings but required any new structures to be fully compliant with current regulations. Innovative design considerations were also necessary to satisfy local zoning and utility requirements by locating electric transformers offsite and providing underground power lines to the site. Designing the ice cream shop so that it is removable in the event of a flood satisfied FEMA requirements. Additional innovative approaches to site cleanup included encapsulating contaminated soil in the foundation of the hotel and designing the stormwater infiltration system under the event deck near the waterfront.

The Thames Street Landing project showcases a unique approach by a group of small, local investors to take an abandoned, contaminated site and restore it – with historical accuracy – to provide the cornerstone for revitalization of the Bristol waterfront. The project served as a catalyst for additional redevelopment –businesses have expanded and moved in around the project and a second significant brownfields redevelopment to transform the former Premier Thread manufacturing facility into condominiums is underway.

The benefits of the Thames Street Landing project are evident in the local and state tax revenues generated, the improvement in the quality of life and sense of place in the community around the Bristol waterfront, and the value of encouraging more redevelopment, improvement, and investment in this neighborhood. Thames Street Landing exemplifies how small, local investors with a strong vision and dedication can accomplish great brownfields projects.

For further information about this project, contact Lloyd Adams at (401) 254-1444 or via e-mail at lsadams@edgenet.net.

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