Town Seeks State Grant To Upgrade Job Lot Plaza

The appearance of the plaza in front of the Ocean State Job Lot in Gales Ferry has been longstanding source of grief for residents and business owners. Now help could be on the way in the form of a $325,000 Small Town Economic Assistance Program (STEAP) grant from the state.

The money would be used for new landscaping and lighting inside the parking lot, which the grant application described as a “sea of pavement.”

As part of the agreement, Riverside Mall CFO John D Conforti has agreed to invest $600,000 toward renovating the façade in front of the businesses in the plaza. In a June 22 letter to Mayor Fred B. Allyn Jr., however, Conforti made it clear that the renovations were contingent on a grant.

“The investment required to accomplish this project, as envisioned, cannot currently be justified without STEAP support,” he wrote.

In the grant proposal, the $325,000 from the state would go out as a loan over 10 years with a 10 percent annual forgiveness rate. If Ocean State Job Lot kept its part by renovating the storefronts, the grant money would not have to be repaid. 

Along with the new landscaping, environmental improvements in the development proposal included plans to replace the current lighting in the parking lot with energy-efficient LED’s. Drainage in the parking lot would be handled according to the principles of Low Impact Development.

On June 23, Allyn sent out a request for $325,000 of STEAP funding, which had the support of both State Sen. Edith Prague, D-19th, and state Rep. Tom Reynolds, D-42nd. 

Other businesses that rent property from Ocean State Job Lot include the Gales Ferry Spirit Shop and Golden Chopstix Restaurant.