Construction on New Crossroads Apartments Underway

Though construction on phase one of the new Kingstown Crossing won't be complete for a few months, tenants of Crossroads Apartments on Navy Dr. are itching to see what the new complex will bring.

For tenant Matt Coughlin, it's more than just the energy-efficient appliances and the balconies that he's looking forward to.

"This neighborhood has had a reputation since I was a little kid," Coughlin said. "It became known as the slums. We won't have that anymore with the new apartments and it'll look nice. It'll feel like a community and won't stick out like a sore thumb. That's what I'm really looking forward to."

Coughlin, his wife Robin, and their four children have lived in their apartment on Navy Dr. for five years and may be among the first tenants to move into the new units in February when the first 24 units are slated for completion. Once phase two of construction is completed, all residents of Navy Dr. will be transplanted to the new apartments.

The $26-million project will house 104 affordable housing units, up from the current 58 apartments, and have 12 one-bedroom apartments, 22 two-bedroom apartments, 58 three-bedroom apartments, and 12 four-bedroom apartments.

Kingstown Crossings will replace the old units on Navy Dr. with new, energy-efficient and LEED-certified facilities and add another 46 units while offering a safer layout for tenants, especially children.

"Currently the apartments are cut by a street where children often play and I'm just waiting for an accident to happen," said Jan Hall-Stinson, program manager for Crossroads Rhode Island in North Kingstown. "With the new apartments, we're moving those recreational areas away from the street."

The new layout has apartments clustered around several cul-de-sacs rather than a single main road. The recreational areas will be behind the buildings and away from Devils Foot Rd. Other features will include a community garden, new basketball courts, open space for activities such as soccer, and a pedestrian/bicycle path.

"We're encouraging our residents to use the pedestrian path," said Hall-Stinson. "We want people to walk to the office to get their mail instead of driving."

Kingstown Crossing also aims to have a minimal ecological footprint by promoting pedestrian traffic, using energy-efficient appliances, and utilizing cross-ventilation in the apartments to reduce the use for air conditioning and heating.

"We pay our own utilities here and the windows are really drafty, so we put plastic up on the windows," said Coughlin. "It's just not very efficient."

Another measure to make the apartments more energy efficient is reducing their size. The current apartments were built in the 1960s and served as military housing for Quonset before being purchased by Crossroads (then Travelers' Aid) and are larger and thus less energy efficient, according to Hall-Stinson.

"Definitely what a lot of people are going to have to do is cut down on the things they own," said Coughlin. "We've grown accustomed to all this space and got used to filling it up. There will probably be massive yard sales when we all move in."

Originally, Crossroads had planned to renovate the current units. According to Hall-Stinson, the cost of building new units was just about the same as renovation.

The new layout has apartments stacked three high as opposed to the current double-level apartments, allowing Crossroads to add an additional 46 units  – approximately 130 more residents – on the same 13 acres of land.. Crossroads will begin to accept applications for the additional units when phase three of construction begins.

The first tenants are slated to move in February once phase one is finished and will be chosen depending on the location of their apartment, size of family, and need. (Five percent of the new units are ADA-equipped.)

"Many tenants have never had anything new in their lives," said Hall-Stinson. "I promised them that they'll be the first people to live in those units."