The weather is not the only thing changing in the city - by Scott Avedisian

We hope you are enjoying the vibrant colors of fall, and as autumn’s breath chills the air, it’s a great time to walk through our parks or visit local shops and markets. We are looking forward to all the festivities that are planned this autumn, and we encourage everyone to take advantage of all we have to offer in Warwick. 

The weather is not the only thing changing in the city of Warwick. Recently, T. F. Green Airport marked another great achievement with completion of the new runway extension. This extension project was a part of the nearly $250 million Airport Improvement Program implemented at T. F. Green. This is a significant achievement in Rhode Island Airport Corporation’s efforts to remain as a top-rated airport, and with the safety enhancements and runway expansion complete, T.F. Green Airport is well positioned to handle modernized aircraft of the future.  These enhancements and their close proximity to City Centre Warwick are an essential factor in facilitating the growth of Warwick’s Economy. 

These improvements at T. F. Green Airport and its efforts to attract more international flights were a key topic of discussion during a recent trade mission to Ireland. During the seven-day trade mission, which included a state delegation of more than a dozen businesses, trade groups, and tourism officials, we visited eight counties – Cork, Clare, Galway, Dublin, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo and Mayo – and had more than 50 meetings with national and county government leaders, officials from three international airports, industry associations and CEOs.

In the course of the discussions with CEOs from more than 20 Irish businesses who are looking to enter the U.S. market, we had an opportunity to discuss City Centre Warwick’s economic development opportunities and expansion of daily direct air service from T.F. Green Airport to the Republic of Ireland’s three main airports: Dublin, Shannon, and Cork. With its proximity to T.F. Green, which now offers international flights to several countries, and the InterLink intermodal station, providing direct connection to between the airport and commuter rail to both Boston and Providence, City Centre Warwick especially makes a lot of sense as an option for foreign companies looking to expand their reach into the United States. All the infrastructure investments that have been made at the City Centre Warwick and TF Green for international and cargo flights can now be fully leveraged in building an international hub for the future.

The City Centre recently has had tremendous developments which include the ongoing construction of a $23 million Hyatt hotel, the opening of Proclamation Ale’s new brewery and tasting facility, completion of a $3.7 million pedestrian enhancement to Coronado Rd., the planned revitalization of the former Leviton property, and several other major mixed-use projects in the exploratory phase.

It’s truly exciting to see the City Centre Warwick transforming into our vision of a new downtown, where the multi-modal transit options are the cornerstone of creating a vibrant, unique, 24/7 “live/work/play” environment.

For more information about what’s going on in the city visit: http://www.visitwarwickri.com 

Scott Avedisian is the mayor of Warwick.