T.F. Green Airport Improvement Program - FEIS Chapters - PVD

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) EvaluationThe City of Warwick was first settled by English Colonists in 1643 and was one of four independent Narragansett Baysettlements that were consolidated the following year to form the colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries Warwick grew around several nodes of settlement that were spread over anexpansive area extending from Narragansett Bay to the Connecticut Colony border. The early economy was basedprimarily on agricultural production, but maritime industries became increasingly important as the period wore on.The onset of the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century caused significant changes in the settlement pattern ofWarwick where a number of textile operations sprang up along the interior streams. Improved transportation routes,initially in the form of turnpikes such as the New London Turnpike (opened in 1821) and later the establishment of railservice via the Stonington Railroad in the 1830s facilitated the movement of goods and people within the western halfof Warwick. The first concerted development of the area encompassing the present-day T.F. Green Airport siteoccurred during the period immediately following the Civil War.The creation of T.F. Green Airport had a profound effect on the development patterns of the western section ofWarwick in the 20th century. By the early 1920s, Rhode Island had a number of small airfields that served aburgeoning number of aircraft. Recognizing the economic potential of air freight and passenger travel, Providenceareabusinessmen began lobbying for a centralized, state-operated airfield. In 1925, the state legislature authorized astudy to investigate appropriate locations for the airfield. The initial results were presented two years later and therecommendations included two possible locations in Warwick, Gaspee Point and Gaspee Plateau. After having lostmuch of its industrial base when West Warwick was established in 1913, Warwick was particularly interested in thepotential of an airport to spur commercial development. In 1928, the Warwick Town Council passed a resolutionasking the Governor to establish an airport in Warwick. Based on recommendations from the New York engineeringfirm Black and Bigelow, a 158-acre tract in the Hillsgrove section of Warwick was ultimately selected in 1929 as thesite for a state airfield. Work was begun on clearing and grading the first turf runways in 1929. The State Airport atHillsgrove, as it was originally known, became the nation’s first state-owned airport to open for commercial traffic,and was officially dedicated on September 26, 1931.4.7.2.2 Identified Historical Architectural Resources within the APE on Airport PropertyOne property in the APE and on Airport property was previously surveyed and listed in the NRHP: theRhode Island State Airport Terminal (Figure 4-20, No. 5). Two properties within the APE were previouslysurveyed and identified as eligible for listing in the NRHP: Hangar No. 1, 628-644 Airport Road (Figure 4-20,No. 4); and Hangar No. 2 (Figure 4-20, No. 6).On January 1, 2009, the Rhode Island State Historic Preservation Office (RISHPO) in this case the Rhode IslandHistorical Preservation and Heritage Commission (RIPHPC), after reviewing a survey conducted by FAA,offered the opinion that Hangar No. 1 and No. 2 along with the Rhode Island State Airport Terminal Buildingwarranted consideration as a potential historic district eligible for inclusion on the NRHP, and that the airfield,although altered through time, should be included in this district. On April 27, 2009, the FAA determined thatHangar No. 1 and No. 2, and the Rhode Island State Airport Terminal Building as well as portions of the airfieldwere eligible for listing in the NRHP as a historic district (Figure 4-20, No. 12). Chapter 7, Final Section4(f)/Section 6(f) Evaluation, provides a more detailed description of the eligible airport historic district,Hangar No. 1 and No. 2, and the Rhode Island State Airport Terminal Building.Chapter 4 – Affected Environment 4-45 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH04_Affected_Env_JUL_2011.doc