Old School Has Many SuitersNewport Eyes Vacant Sheffield School For Added Revenue
Written By Tom Shelvin - Newport This Week - Wednesday, February 5, 2008
With the city facing with the prospect of decreased state aid and a tightening economy, city officials have begun the process of evaluating the best use for the vacant Sheffield School on Broadway as a source of potential revenue.
The building, located at 513 Broadway, was built in 1922 and served north Newport's primary elementary school for 84 years until it shut its doors in 2006 due to budget constraints and a decreased school population. The 33,383 sq. ft. building represents prime real estate for the city and is ripe for development. The question City councilors now need to ask is what kind of development.
One option is affordable housing. Like several other former school buildings such as the Mumford and John Clarke Schools, the Sheffield property could house several affordable or senior housing units that the city could develop in concert with groups such as Church Community Housing or Newport collaborative Architects.
Another alternative would be to sell the building or enter into a long-term lease in order for a commercial enterprise to use the property.
Michael Sigourney, the founder and CEO of AVTECH Software, Inc., is trying to convince the city to do just that.
A Booming Business
Brown cardboard boxes imprinted with "Made in India" on their sides sit stacked throughout the shipping department of the basement of an office building at Admiral's Gate. In 6 weeks they'll be gone, shipped to all corners of the globe. For Mr. Sigourney, business is booming and he has outgrown his space at the Admiral's Gate office park he currently occupies. Now, the former marketing consultant turned software executive, is making a pitch to acquire Newport's vacant Sheffield School.
In a proposal submitted to City Counselors last month, Sigourney urged officials to begin the process of reconstructing the vacant property as a means to generate taxes and bring needed business to the city.
Last month, Mr. Sigourney, a Newport resident who lives across the street from the vacant school, submitted plans to develop the property into a light impact commercial building in order to accommodate his growing business. Mr. Sigourney, who founded his Newport-based computer hardware and software development firm 14 years ago from a spare bedroom in his southern California home, wrote to councilors to express his interest.
"As a Newport resident, business and property owner, I am interested to see the city of Newport move forward with the process of re-purposing the Sheffield School property," he wrote. "Vacant for well over a year now, the property is an expense to taxpayers and a management responsibility for the city."
According to the proposal, AVTECH is projected to grow by approximately 50 percent over the next several years as it expands in order to meet a growing demand for its high-tech computer applications which primarily monitor environmental conditions inside warehouses and high tech computer labs and machinery.
Known more for sails than silicon, Newport is nonetheless home to a small cluster of high tech companies such as AVTECH, Tower Stream Wireless, and various other business catering to Rhode Island's defense industry. Still, office space is limited and Mr. Sigourney told his staff last week that due to spatial constraints, he would be instituting a hiring freeze until additional space could be found.
AVTECH, which currently employs 25 full time employees, is planning on adding another 18-30 full time professional staff members over the next twelve months. According to Mr. Sigourney's pitch, the average AVTECH employee earns almost $50,000 per year and is provided with full medical coverage for their families.
Clients include each branch of the United State military, the United Nations, and over 80 percent of the fortune 1000 and provides its services to companies located in over 104 countries and Antarctica while sales of AVTECH software and hardware totaled over $6 million in 2006 and are expected to increase to between $10 and $12 million next year alone.
For Mr. Sigourney, the Sheffield Building represents the perfect location to accommodate his growing business.
"Making the property available to a thriving local business will have significant benefits for the local residents and economy, as well as to the city of Newport and state of Rhode Island," Mr. Sigourney wrote in a Nov. 27, 2007 letter to the City Council. Sigourney said that his proposal will preserve the historic and architectural image of the building by making minimal changes to the property in a way that lowers neighborhood and city impact by reducing noise, traffic, and demand for city services, and would minimize construction noise, dust, traffic, and related issues to abutters during the change of use by selecting a business that can utilize the building and the property almost exactly as it is today.
In an interview at his offices last week, Mr. Sigourney expounded upon his desire to remain close to home. "I'll be able to walk to work," he said. "I have several employees who could ride their bikes to work...we'd be taking cars off the street."
Slow And Steady Process
Although the school has not been in use since 2006, the building has only been in the possession of the city for approximately six months.
Sigourney said that he has been courted by several other communities including Cumberland and Fall River. Should he be unable to secure a commitment from the city to occupy or purchase the Sheffield property, Mr. Sigourney said that he would likely move his business and possibly his residence off the island.
Mr. Sigourney described the city so far as being "very receptive" to his overtures, however fears that his need to expand will outpace the city's systematic evaluation process.
Reaction to the plan has also been well received by neighbors to the property. A January hearing on Sigourney's proposal drew several dozen Newport residents, most of who expressed favor to a limited impact commercial development over affordable housing. Sigourney also said that he has assured nearby churches that he would not restrict the use of the Sheffield parking lot, which is used by parishioners for parking during Sunday services.
The development of Sheffield Schools seems to have been a prolonged process. However, the city has only been in direct possession of the property since July, 2007. At that time, several councilors viewed workforce, or affordable, housing as the building's best use.
According to Planning and Zoning Director Paige Bronk, the city has acquired a good deal of experience in developing properties such as Sheffield, and the process still needs to play itself out before any determination can be made regarding its final disposition.
"The city for almost a decade has been in the development and redevelopment business," Mr. Bronk said.
Mr. Bronk describes the city as "being in the driver's seat" when it comes to developing the Sheffield property. However, the process, he adds is only just beginning. "The first step is for the City Council to approve a comprehensive plan change," he said. Only then can the city pursue proposals for the building.
At least one local businessman is hoping that day comes sooner rather than later.
The building, located at 513 Broadway, was built in 1922 and served north Newport's primary elementary school for 84 years until it shut its doors in 2006 due to budget constraints and a decreased school population. The 33,383 sq. ft. building represents prime real estate for the city and is ripe for development. The question City councilors now need to ask is what kind of development.
AVTECH Software, Inc.