Above: The new single-family houses on Division and Duke streets – where Pal’s Restaurant long reigned.

In recent years, parts of downtown East Greenwich never before considered ripe for development have been completely refashioned while developments in other parts of town are taking advantage of larger tracts of land. Here’s a roundup of current residential developments under construction.

32 Exchange Street

Five years after developer Tim Grenier got permission to tear down the historic but extremely dilapidated house at 32 Exchange Street and put up three separate structures with a total of 12 units, the project is well under way. Four of the units will be deed-restricted affordable, which is what allowed Grenier to build more units on the .46 acre lot. The old house was torn down in February 2022. Together with “The Courts” at 104 Duke St. (now five townhouses, once upon a time, home to “Tata” Ucci’s legendary store) and 38 Exchange Street (a recently refurbished apartment building), the lineup represents a significant change for that little corner of town.  

Three buildings are under construction at 32 Exchange Street, for a total of 12 residences.

Duke & Division Street Houses

The former Pal’s Restaurant came down in December 2022. Today, in its place, are two single-family houses facing Division Street; another five (facing Duke Street) fill the space once used for parking. The houses – all with separate one-car garages – are nearing completion. 

Court at Rope Walk Hill *Ready to begin construction 

This 16-unit development at 67 Queen St. marks the capstone for Jerry Zarrella Jr. in his refashioning of the area of Queen, Castle and Long streets. With permissions now in hand from the Planning Department and a signoff from the Historic District Commission, Zarrella can get building.

461 Main Street 

This one – a combination of single family houses on Union Street and a mixed-use building on Main Street – has moved at a glacial pace. Developer Peter Casale got approval for the project in 2019. By 2022, the Union Street houses were under construction. They await completion but seem to be getting close. It’s unclear when the mixed-use spaces will be ready. 

The Imperial, Greenwich Boulevard

The Imperial was in the news earlier this month so we checked in to see if there were any updates. According to Brad Ward, building official for the town, the developer is allowed to work in individual units but a stop remains on all hallway and stairway work pending architectural issues that need to be addressed. Once those are addressed and both Ward and Fire Marshal Steve Hughes sign off on the new plans, that work can continue.

Coggeshall Preserve 

The road to approval took a while for this project at 62 South Pierce Road as well as Cora Street and Taylor Circle and included a denial by the town Planning Board, an overrule by the State Housing Appeals Board, an appeal of that overrule by the town, and finally, a negotiated settlement between the two sides that limited the number of structures to eight. Already sold are two deed restricted affordable units in a new building meant to replicate the historic farmhouse that the developer successfully argued was beyond repair at any reasonable price. According to developer Tom Primeau, four out of the six remaining houses have been sold. Read more about this project HERE.

Residences at Middleberry

This 822-820 Middle Road development is also a Tom Primeau project. On Tuesday he said the 43 duplex and triplex residences  were sold out. The project, which was done in phases, started five years ago. 

Frenchtown Road Apartments

Construction is under way for the 63 apartments that will be a mix of one- and two-bedroom units (30 and 33 respectively) in a single, four-story building, developed by Cove Homes Inc. (a nonprofit affiliated with the East Greenwich Housing Authority) and Pennrose Corp. All of these units will be classified as affordable. According to EGHA Director Tracy Johnson, the project is on track to be completed this fall. She said she learned that Pennrose, the managing agent who is overseeing the project, has received more than 600 inquiries.

Brookside Terrace, 1470 South County Trail 

The first building – with 48 units – opened in 2022; there was a delay with the second building because of water pressure issues but the developer recently got their certificate of occupancy (CO). These are all lower-income apartments. They are leasing. Learn more about them HERE.