Schiavo Enterprises breaks ground on Newport Center development

East Providence, RI — City of East Providence officials joined together on September 30, 2021 with a number of partners to break ground on Newport Center, a mixed-use development located on Newport Avenue.

The site, once complete, will feature:
• Two, four-story apartment buildings (142 residential units comprised of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments)
• a 6,000 square-foot convenience store/gas station
• a 19,000 square-foot commercial outlet
• 1,338 plantings (including 51 trees, 100 evergreens, and 499 shrubs, grasses and flowers)

“We are excited to commence on this project which will help enhance this community,” Schiavo Enterprises Founder Robert Schiavo said. “This will be our second ground up development in East Providence/Rumford, RI in the last few years.

“From the initial concept on the eight-acre mixed-use development, the entire city staff have been a pleasure to work with,” Schiavo added. “We understood early on the complexity of achieving a new vibrant development while accounting for the community’s feedback on matters of traffic, landscaping and utilities to support such a development.”

“A.R. Building Co. Inc. is very pleased to contribute to the burgeoning Newport Avenue business district,” A.R. Building Co. Senior Vice President Jason Kambitsis said. “We have made previous investments in East Providence by building 228 units at Kettle Point and have seen great success.

“The additional housing opportunities will build upon the growing diverse residential landscape in East providence by providing a fully amenitized community with on-site gym, community space and pool in a four-story resort-like complex,” Kambitsis added. “These apartments are in the middle of everything, giving residents a great location to live, while investing in the community and being part of its flourishing future.”

“It is always wonderful to see a developer like Schiavo Enterprises willing to invest in a project that will enhance and create housing opportunities for current and future residents while also expanding our tax base,” Mayor Bob DaSilva said.