AG Neronha Opposes Block Island Marina Expansion Pact

NEW SHOREHAM — Attorney General Peter F. Neronha has asked the Rhode Island Supreme Court to block a proposed agreement that would allow Champlin's Marina on Block Island to significantly expand its docks into Great Salt Pond, adding space to accommodate more boats.

Neronha's office filed its much-anticipated motion this week after the high court on Feb. 12 granted the AGO permission to intervene. The marina expansion has been the source of heated controversy on the island for nearly two decades, and the fight has been covered in detail by The Block Island Times.

In the recent motion, attorneys for Neronha's office argue that a Memorandum of Understanding crafted behind closed doors between the Coastal Resources Management Council and Champlin’s Realty Associates is invalid. They also say the agreement does not account for certain factual findings. The MOU was adopted by the CRMC in an off-the-record executive session where key stakeholders and members of the public were not permitted to attend.

"It is our job to intervene to protect the public interest, and we remain concerned that proper procedures were not followed here” said Neronha in a media release. “Any resolution of this matter will have a lasting impact on the natural resources of Block Island. It is critical that agencies’ final decisions are visible and accessible, and any facts the agency relied on to support its decisions are clear.”

Champlin’s first sought approval from the CRMC in 2003, and over the years the matter devolved into a tangle of denials and appeals. In February 2020, a Superior Court judge upheld CRMC’s denial. Last fall, the state's highest court agreed to review the case. On January 8, the CRMC and Champlin’s filed a joint motion with the R.I. Supreme Court seeking approval of their bilateral pact.

The matter is complicated by the fact that Champlin's Marina and Resort was recently sold by longtime owner Joseph Grillo. The new owners, affiliated with Procaccianti Properties in Cranston, bought the property for $19 million and formed the holding company TPG Marinas. TPG Marinas hired Michael Hartman as general manager of the Block Island property. Hartman gave The Block Island Times a tour and discussed renovations and repairs, but did not comment when asked if the new owners would pursue the dock expansion.

Intervenors in the case include the Town of New Shoreham, the Committee for the Great Salt Pond, the Block Island Land Trust, and the Block Island Conservancy. Environment and Energy Unit Chief and Special Assistant Attorney General Tricia K. Jedele and Special Assistant Attorney General Alison B. Hoffman are taking the lead for the Attorney General on this matter.

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