Quonset Point
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Quonset Point is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is contained entirely within the town of North Kingstown.
Quonset Point was the location of Naval Air Station Quonset Point, a large United States Navy base. The peninsula is now used for industrial purposes and is partially abandoned. A major industrial tenant is a hull-fabrication and outfitting facility for Electric Boat Corporation.
Route 403 is being rebuilt as a freeway branching from Route 4 to serve the area; it is also served by a railroad spur from Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (along which the Providence and Worcester Railroad operates). The line was recently upgraded to handle 19 foot high auto carriers. [1]
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[edit] Quonset Business Park
Quonset Point, in North Kingstown Rhode Island is home to the Quonset Business Park. This location is undergoing a fast paced and successful transformation from a military installation to a first class business park with multiple platforms for new and expanding businesses and high wage job growth.
The Park was the location of the former Quonset Naval Air Station and Rework Facility and the former Naval Construction Battalion Center Davisville and encompasses 3000+ acres. The Business Park is situated on the shores of Narragansett Bay, conveniently located between New York City and Boston in the heart of the New England Business Corridor. It offers an intermodal transportation system that includes rail, air, direct highway access and a port. The Quonset Business Park infrastructure includes all roads and utilities (electricity, natural gas, fresh water, and on-site wastewater treatment). The communications network provides high-speed fiber optic for voice, data, and video.
The Quonset Business Park is home to 158 companies employing approximately 8,200 individuals. The mix includes office and R&D, light and general manufacturing, warehouse and distribution, marine construction, and importing. Major businesses at the Quonset Business Park, include, Electric Boat, North Atlantic Distribution, Toray Plastics, SENESCO and Ocean State Job Lot.
The Park has extensive recreational and public space as well, with a 138 acre golf course and beaches. Other amenities include a marina, high-speed ferry service to Martha’s Vineyard,and a child day care facility.
The Quonset Development Corporation’s (QDC), a special purpose subsidiary of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC), a quasi public company, is responsible for the development and management of the park. The mission of the QDC is to create platforms for high wage sector job growth as part of the RIEDC’s overall strategy for strengthening the regional economy.
As of January 2008 the Quonset Business Park is 75% developed. In the last five years, $300 million in private investment has been made at the park. The price of land in the park is currently $150,000 an acre, a 100% increase over the price in 2002.
Construction is currently underway on the $144 million dollar mixed-use Gateway at the Quonset Business Park. Privately funded and expected to create space for 2,000 additional jobs, mostly in targeted high wage sectors, the 900,000 square foot Gateway will include office and R&D space, community space, a sports complex, a hotel, retail and restaurants.
The Quonset Business Park has designation as a free trade zone for the Port of Davisville. The port is one of the top auto importers in the country and is positioned to grow further with the recent upgrade of the rail system that allows autos to be carried on triple decker rail cars anywhere East of the Mississippi and into Canada.
[edit] Ferry Dock
The ferry dock at quonset point is the main terminal for the Martha's Vineyard Fast Ferry Millennium to Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts. A shuttle bus leaves every hour before the ferry departs; and after the ferry arrives, a bus travels to the Providence Airport (T. F. Green State Airport) and the Kingston Amtrak Train Station.
[edit] Events on Quonset Point
The Rhode Island Air Show is held annually by the Rhode Island National Guard.
During the 1950s, Quonset Point was home port for the aircraft carriers, the USS Antietam (CVS 32), USS Tarawa (CVS 40) and the USS Leyte.
During the 1960s and early 1970s, four aircraft carriers used Quonset Point as their home port. The carriers were the USS Lake Champlain, the USS Essex (CVS-9), the USS Wasp (CVS-18) and the USS Intrepid (CVS-11).
BASE: Advancing a Post-Military Landscape An extensive photographic survey of the Quonset Point & Davisville Naval Bases completed in 2000 by Erik Carlson & Erica Carpenter.
[edit] References
- ^ Information provided by Quonset Development Corporation
