Have an idea to grow Tiverton's seafood industry? DEM wants to hear from you.
Have an idea to grow the marine-based industry in Tiverton? Then the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management wants to hear from you.
DEM is seeking input through a Public Information Request for developing and operating the former Chase Marina facility at 169 Riverside Dr. in Tiverton.
Proposals that address the priority needs and interests of the local commercial fishing, aquaculture and seafood industries are of particular interest. Ideas pertaining to other uses of the facility that meet local, regional, and statewide needs and interests will also be considered.
DEM acquired the former Chase Marina property from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation in October 2021. The site consists of a 96-year-old, two-story industrial/commercial building with a reported gross floor area of 5,671 square feet. The building is situated on a 0.26-acre site and includes an attached marina with room for 25-30 berthing positions intended for use by Rhode Island’s commercial fishing fleet.
"The site offers an outstanding, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sustain and grow Rhode Island’s economically vital commercial fishing, shellfish farming, and seafood industry via a new state port facility in the East Bay portion of Narragansett Bay. This central vision lies at the heart of this RFI. The unique nature and location of the facility may lend itself to a wide range of blended uses. DEM is particularly interested in soliciting ideas for uses that support and complement this central vision. DEM will also consider ideas for alternative uses," DEM said in a release.
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For more information on the RFI, please visit dem.ri.gov/programs/coastal/.
According to DEM, R.I.'s commercial fisheries and seafood sector account for more than 3,100 jobs and $538 million in gross sales (2016 numbers per a 2017 URI study). Including spillover effects across all sectors of the economy, fisheries and seafood industries support more than 4,300 jobs and nearly $420 million in economic impact.
This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: Chase Marina, Tiverton, reuse ideas sought by RI DEM
