The old police station at 511 Broad St. will be converted into affordable units. Photo by Stephen Ide/ONE Neighborhood Builders
CENTRAL FALLS – Plans to convert the old Central Falls police station and courthouse into affordable housing units are moving ahead, with master and preliminary approvals now granted for the project.
One Neighborhood Builders will be converting the building at 511 Broad St. into 17 affordable housing units. They area also planning to turn the site of a former Dunkin’ at 524 Broad St. into 27 affordable units.
One Neighborhood Builders anticipates being granted final plan approval for the project within the next month or two, with planners certifying that all conditions stipulated in the preliminary plan have been met.
“Once we have the 100 percent construction documents, we would be eligible to apply for the building permit probably in about six months or so, after we receive our final financing approvals” said Jennifer Hawkins, president and CEO of One Neighborhood Builders.
Hawkins estimates that construction will begin sometime this summer, including the preservation of several elements in the old courthouse.
“It’s really important for readers to understand that this is a perfect example where some of that housing money that the state got is obligated for this project,” Hawkins said. “A check hasn’t been written, and it hasn’t been spent, but it is very much spoken for.”
Jennifer Hawkins, President & CEO, ONE Neighborhood Builders
“The existing terracotta cornice is being restored, and we’ll be replicating any of the missing modillions and brackets,” she explained. “The existing clay tile roof system is being retained and repaired, and the existing mosaic tile flooring and wood paneling in the publicly accessible Broad Street entrance vestibules will be preserved,” she added.
Additionally, the interior carved wooden staircase and wainscoting is being preserved and restored, and some non-original elements added during the from the 1950s to 1970s will be removed, Hawkins said.
Hawkins confirmed that all units will be residential. She said the project originally started with plans for just the Dunkin’ site, but another piece of property was needed to make it more feasible.
The city then suggested including the old courthouse in the plans, but Hawkins said she knew it would be expensive to take on, since it requires working with an existing site to preserve elements such as casings, windows, and doors.
“It’s always challenging, but I think that it’s important to do because if we didn’t make it transition into housing, it would probably just continue to fall into disrepair and eventually have to be demolished,” Hawkins said.
A development agreement was then signed with the city, and financing was approved last May.
Hawkins said it’s been a couple of years in the making, and since May, there have been increases in prices and interest rates, while equity investment has decreased. This has led to “a perfect storm of conditions that have resulted in a gap,” she explained.
“We’re going back to Rhode Island Housing this month for additional funding, and then we’ll be able to really close on the project and break ground.”
