#MiddletownRI thanks the Hoogendoorn family for its trust and belief as the town completes a deal Tuesday to buy the Turner Road nursery land. In the near term, wholesale farming operations will continue as the town determines the best use for the site.
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CONTACT: Matt Sheley at (401) 842-6543 or msheley@middletownri.com
HOOGENDOORN NURSERIES LAND BOUGHT BY TOWN
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. (AUGUST 20, 2024) – The Town of Middletown has completed the purchase of the Hoogendoorn Nurseries land.
First announced in mid-November, papers were filed today in Town Hall finalizing the deal for the 58.2 acre site between Turner Road and Berkeley Avenue for $5.4 million.
Similar to when the town bought the former Starlight Drive-In site on Aquidneck Avenue, the state Department of Education (RIDE) will reimburse Middletown 55 percent of the total purchase price of the Hoogendoorn Nurseries land.
That’s because RIDE agreed recently the site may be used for important educational activities and school-related efforts, such as an agricultural Career & Technical Education program or like offerings.
Town officials said they were thrilled with the news, which preserves an important piece of Middletown’s history on the east side of town.
“Any way you look at it, this is good news for the Town of Middletown and our entire community,” Town Council Vice President Thomas P. Welch III said. “We’ve been working on this for a long time and it’s important we were able to complete this agreement.”
A specific plan and future use of the land hasn’t been discussed publicly at the Town Council level — yet. But now that the town owns the land at 408 Turner Road, those conversations are expected to kick off between the council, Open Space & Fields Commission and other local bodies in coming months.
In the near term, they said the Hoogendoorn family will continue to conduct its wholesale nursery operations on the property while the community determines the best use down the line for the land. If the nursery business is sold, the agreement also specifies the new owner can continue to lease the land from the town.
“Long term, the opportunity to preserve a large parcel of this nature and character is critical to the town,” council President Paul M. Rodrigues said. “We know that farmers are ultimately the best stewards of the land and nowhere is this more true than in Middletown and we thank the Hoogendoorn family for their trust and belief in us.”
Going back close to two decades, the town has quietly let its interest in the Hoogendoorn land be known. This has included broaching the potential of the town buying the land directly with the Hoogendoorn family.
Although there’s been no formal discussion of the Hoogendoorn land, town officials have said previously they’ve been concerned about how new homes or other growth there could add to flooding issues nearby.
According to the town’s “Future Land Use 2025” map in the Comprehensive Community Plan, the residential site should continue to be for active agricultural uses. That map showed the surrounding land was designated for low density residential or protected agricultural and open space land, primarily Newport Vineyards land.
A November 2019 report from by the Aquidneck Land Trust indicated the entire area is facing massive development pressure. The study by Sasaki & Associates said all unprotected open space on Aquidneck Island will disappear by 2050.
The “Aquidneck Island Development Impact Analysis” also said current growth is harming the area’s water sources and doesn’t generate the per acre taxes that smarter growth could on the appropriate properties.
The study also encouraged local leaders to embrace a more regional approach to planning and development, where every community would benefit more. To view the report, visit https://ailt.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Development-Impact-Analysis_Final-Report_Spreads.pdf online.
“Whenever we have an opportunity like this, it’s important to jump on it if we can,” Town Administrator Shawn J. Brown said. “It’s never easy to secure and preserve a large parcel like this in Middletown and it fits exactly into what the council has laid out as the priorities for Middletown today and into the future. We’d all be remiss if we didn’t say the town is extremely grateful to the Hoogendoorn family for being an important part of the community and trusting us to do what’s right with this land in perpetuity.”
Document Link: https://mdl.town/Close