Narragansett Tribe Wants Navy Surplus Property

The Narragansett Indian Tribe has asked the Bureau of Indian Affairs to give them about 400 acres of surplus land owned by the Navy on the western shore of Aquidneck Island.

The request comes as the city of Newport and towns of Portsmouth and Middletown are in the midst of planning to potentially develop excess Navy properties on the island.

In a memo to the Mayor and City Council, City Manager Jane Howington said she met with Senator Jack Reed who "strongly urged both Middletown and Newport to be aggressive in their efforts to purchase these parcels" which include the old Naval hospital.

The Navy rejected a previous offer to redevelop the hospital property through a process known as "economic development conveyance."

The estimated price of the property is anywhere from $500,000 to $1.6 million, Howington said, and if the city does decide to buy it, the City Council will have to determine how it will be redeveloped.

Howington outlined a few options, such as securing a partner as a preferred developer, transferring the property to the redevelopment authority or flip it and sell it on the open market.

If the city decides to not buy the property, "there is a very strong likelihood that it will be transferred to the BIA," Howington wrote.

If the property goes to private hands, it will join the tax rolls with a $30 million or higher assessed value. If the tribe gets it, it will be tax exempt "but the City will get stuck with the bill for police, fire and other costs created by the Indians' activities on the property," Howington said.

In addition, the public waterfront walk will disappear if the tribe gets the property.

The City Council will address the matter in executive session sometime next week.