Newport commissioners authorize $7.5 million park agreement with private developer

The Newport Board of Commissioners on Aug. 18 authorized Mayor Thomas L. Cadulli Jr. to execute a professional services agreement with SquareFlex Development and Construction Management LLC (referred to in the discussion as “Corporates”) to manage the design and construction of improvements at James Taylor Park using a $7.5 million state grant.

The vote came after more than an hour of staff presentations and public comment on the park master plan and construction controls. City staff said the agreement makes the developer the construction manager but does not transfer ownership of the park. "This did not give the park away," a city official told the commission. "This simply is Corporates building the park for a fee." The motion passed on a unanimous roll call vote.

Why it matters: The project will reshape the city riverfront and ties together an earlier state grant the city was awarded. City managers and the park committee said the design process included months of public engagement, the National Park Service, local business owners and volunteer residents. Park committee members said the plans reflect community priorities for pedestrian access, riverfront overlooks and passive park spaces.

City presentation and public engagement: City staff and consultants reviewed 3-D renderings, a site plan and a schedule of values that officials said…