Soccer stadium developer plans to help youth soccer throughout the state

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WJAR) — Changing the game in Pawtucket.

The developer who wants to build a soccer stadium as part of a $400 million redevelopment plan in Pawtucket spent some time in Rhode Island on Thursday.

"As far as I'm concerned, this is no longer theoretical. This is just a question of how quickly we start moving dirt," said Brett Johnson of Fortuitous Partners.

Johnson, a Brown University graduate, said when it comes to the demographic for soccer, he's had his eye on Rhode Island for a while.

"As I started to look at the growth of the sport across the country, what became very clear is how strong soccer demand is in Rhode Island," said Johnson. "Pawtucket is truly fantastic, right off 95, right on the water, right near this transportation hub that's coming in. It's the perfect place for this project."

Fortuitous Partners has proposed spending millions of dollars to develop three sites in downtown Pawtucket, which includes a soccer stadium, an indoor sports facility, and a housing and office development.

One part of the plan calls for a 7,500-seat soccer stadium at the Tidewater site that would be located at a former National Grid gas plant. The stadium would be home to a United Soccer League Championship team.

Johnson said he hopes to expand the availability of the facility, so multiple soccer programs in the state can take advantage of it.

Johnson noted that in Phoenix, where he owns another soccer team, his program has expanded, helping about 10,000 youth soccer players.

"We look forward to reaching out and building relationships in this market with the coaches that are making a difference with the boys and girls and building up a relationship," said Johnson. "We plan on being as supportive as we possibly can. I look forward to hosting games when we can for other leagues in our stadium, and then building and investing in playing fields across the state."

Johnson said the stadium would be used year-round for more than professional soccer. It could be used for events like concerts or other sports.

Besides the stadium, there's more to the proposed project.

A pedestrian bridge would separate the soccer stadium from another site at Division Street, which would include a park, bars, restaurants, retail shops, and residences.

Initially, Fortuitous had been hoping to acquire the Apex building as a third part of the project. That hasn't happened yet, and if it doesn't, Johnson said they're ready to move forward.

"Just to be clear, it's great property, but we have the benefit of two phenomenal sites, so Tidewater and then Division Street. So, if you look at the overall development, those sites are critical for what we want to do," said Johnson. "The great news is that because of the relationship with the city of Pawtucket and the relationship with National Grid, we feel we have all green lights to move forward with it. If at some point that additional property is available, we are obviously interested in it."

City leaders in Pawtucket said at a news conference two weeks ago that this could bring thousands of jobs to the city.

Johnson said for the next 100 days, his company will be spending a lot of time looking at financial breakdowns and raising capital for the project. He said he will be personally investing.

Johnson's company has about four months to finalize the details of the development. The goal to be up and ready to play by 2022.