Preserving Our Past, Protecting Our Future
The North Providence Land Trust (NPLT) was established in 2000 to protect and preserve open space in North Providence.
Like many communities throughout Rhode Island, decades of continuous growth have put tremendous amounts of pressure on the town, permanently altering the character of our community.
Unfortunately, the impact from years of development compounded over time is much more pronounced in a small, tight knit urban community such as North Providence, a town with a total land size of only 5.7 square miles.
No fewer than five lakes — used and enjoyed by generations of families — have literally disappeared from the town’s landscape in the last 50 years. Numerous streams that once crisscrossed our town are gone.
Open green space where legions of children once played have been devoured by development. The sounds of a baseball cracking off a bat, the voices of children playing a friendly game of tag, have been largely silenced in many neighborhoods.
The sights, sounds and vibrancy that transform a town into a community, a community into a neighborhood and a neighborhood into a place we call ‘home’ have been in many respects lost.
The result is clear. Today, less than ten percent of the town’s total acreage is designated as open space.
The Time to Act is Now
The time to act is now for the sake of present and future generations of North Providence families. You can help by stepping forward and working with the North Providence Land Trust to preserve open space and increase our property values. Here’s how:
The NPLT has been empowered to acquire land for the benefit of all North Providence residents. The NPLT can help you preserve and protect land that exists in the community, beginning with an evaluation of the property. The NPLT is prepared to work with you to determine the best, most tax-efficient way to donate and/or sell property.
More than a half century later, few things remain the same.
- North Providence is the second smallest community in Rhode Island behind only Central Falls.
- 5.7 square miles of land equals 3,648 acres of total property.
- Approximately 335 acres of land is designated as open space today.
- The stated goal of the North Providence Comprehensive Plan is to increase the amount of total open space. The 2013 North Providence Comprehensive Plan and all the associated maps, can be found on the Planning & Zoning page.