PAWTUCKET – Jan Brodie sees limitless potential in the 150-acre Conant Thread district. The executive director of The Pawtucket Foundation, she envisions what is possible – a corporate campus, new construction, or transit-oriented development spurred by the commuter rail station on the city line.

“The 150 acres behind you includes two million square feet of historic mills, two million square feet of opportunities for new construction,” Brodie said from Isle Brewers Guild on Main Street on Thursday. The brewers guild, which many local and state officials have touted as an example of the potential that exists in the evolution of historic downtown Pawtucket, sits just around the corner from where the commuter rail station is expected to open by 2021.

 

Thursday morning’s event brought together local, state, and federal leaders; transportation officials; and members of the area business community to imagine what’s to come for the 150-acre district in both Pawtucket and Central Falls. Included in those 150 acres are four million square feet for development, with another four million square feet nearby in downtown Pawtucket.

 

Full Story