Gas Station Planned For Newport Creamery Site Clears Zoning Board

Members of the Johnston Zoning Board of Review voted on July 28 to approve plans for a Stop & Shop gas station to replace the Newport Creamery on Atwood Avenue.

During the meeting, held at the , board members approved a special use permit and a dimensional variance that would allow Carpionato Properties to build the fueling station at 1410 Atwood Ave.

According to Kelly Coates, Senior Vice President at Carpionato Properties, which owns the property, Stop & Shop wants to stay competitive with a new Super Wal-mart planned for Plainfield Pike in Cranston.

A Stop & Shop closed in East Providence in 2009 after the city would not allow it to build a gas station, Coates noted, and the closure had a negative impact on the city.

Coates said he doesn't want to see the same thing happen in Johnston.

"When they go, this [plaza] is dark," Coates explained. "When this is dark, this is a domino to the street."

Coates also stressed that the planned facility will be a fueling station, and not a typical gas station with a convenience store.

"This is a non-service station. This is a fueling facility," said Coates. "This is radically different from a gas station. Stop & Shop would never want someone to buy milk here and avoid the store."

According to the application for the project, the facility will have five stations, each with two pumps, and it will be open from 6 a.m. to 10 or 11 p.m. In addition to the new facility, there will be improvements to traffic flow and striping in the plaza, and additional landscaping.

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