BUSINESS
A new luxury apartment complex is coming to Warwick. Here's what to know.
Luxury amenities are part of the selling points
Wheeler Cowperthwaite
Providence Journal
WARWICK − A new 214-unit amenities-rich apartment building is going up in Warwick near Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport.
The developer hopes to capitalize on an underserved portion of the market, as well as airport employees.
Wood Partners Development Vice President Mark Seck said he had been trying to build something in Rhode Island, having grown up in Southeast Massachusetts and flying out of T.F. Green as a child.
"It seemed not much had been built and it was all focused on Providence," Seck said. "Then it hit me – there's a demand for Class A, outside of South Providence, that's not been built for 30 years."
In real estate parlance, a "Class A" apartment is the highest quality available. Think, decent amenities and attention to detail. However, no one builds Class B or Class C apartments. They're just Class A apartments that have gotten older.
The property at 2119 Post Road caught Seck's attention in the fall of 2022. City officials were open to new housing and willing to work with the developer. By June, construction started.
The first of two buildings is expected to open by July 2025 and the second in August 2025.
The complex should be fully leased the spring of 2026.
"We think it will go pretty quickly here," he said.
Why choose Warwick?
Warwick was chosen for a few reasons:
- The available land
- The willingness of the city to work with the developer
- Proximity to the airport and the train station attached to it, which gives people who commute a few days a week the flexibility to commute via public transit
- Proximity to Quonset Business Park, and the relatively higher-paying jobs there
Expand the commute bubble well beyond Warwick into Cranston and South County, and there are few, if any, apartment buildings outside of Providence that offer that style of living, Seck said.
"I know a lot of people who have good jobs in southern Rhode Island who want this option, but just haven't had it," he said.
What are the amenities?
- A "resort-style" pool
- Fitness center
- Game room
- Dedicated co-working office space with private rooms
- On-site property management
- Outdoor and indoor lounge-style areas
What is the makeup of the apartments?
- 126 one-bedroom apartments
- 80 two-bedroom apartments
- 8 three-bedroom apartments
"When we did our market research, we were targeting younger working professionals, working at the airport or Quonset, who might have a small child, but we didn't think there would be a ton of small families here," Seck said.
What does the site look like?
The site is a 6.5 acre lot on Post Road that was a giant parking lot, and has been ripped up during the construction process. To the rear it is bounded by the railroad tracks, and to the side, the T.F. Green Connector Road, which brings traffic on and off of Interstate 95.
One building looks like a bracket, with a small courtyard in the rear and the front of the building facing Post Road. The other building is an L. Between them is 320 parking spaces, 1.5 parking spaces for every unit. Some of those parking spaces will be in private garages.