Just a year after grocery chain Stop & Shop stopped paying its 20-year lease on its long empty store on Reservoir Ave. in Providence, R.I., Tesla will move into the former supermarket to build a hub for service, sales and vehicle charging in southern New England.
The new Providence hub for the electric car maker should open in the first three months of 2024, Joseph R. Paolino Jr., a local real estate developer, said during a news conference Aug. 1. His company, Paolino Properties, bought the complex in 2012.
When finished, the more than 76,000-sq.-ft. hub will become one of the largest Tesla locations in New England. It is located in the Mashapaug Commons complex, next to Jorge Alvarez High School.
Paolino said that the old site needs to be completely retrofitted to become a Tesla dealership.
The Providence Journal reported that once the transition is complete, the Tesla retail location will employ 30 people full-time in sales, service and parts distribution. The automaker, founded and majority owned by billionaire Elon Musk, is spending $10 million to build the car dealership.
"This is a big day for Providence. This development is bringing jobs at every level to the community and will be game-changing for the neighborhood," explained Paolino, who serves as managing partner and owner of Paolino Properties. "The conversion of this center into a service hub for Tesla is a meaningful milestone for the entire region.
"It fills me with immense pride, as it signifies Providence's crucial role as a key player in a national endeavor towards a brighter, more sustainable future and the expansion of a promising new industry," he continued.
The Providence hub will not only function as a service center for electric vehicles, but provide new vehicle delivery, preparation, maintenance services, lease renewals and as a parts depot for all regional locations. It also will include a showroom and ancillary office spaces, Paolino Properties noted in the press release.
The developer is overseeing the project's current stage of construction, and will replace the roof, install a new rooftop HVAC, put in a new garage door and update the mill and pavement of the parking surface, as well as add new outdoor lighting and landscaping.
The design and construction has supported approximately 55 jobs, the company noted.
Keeping Up With Demand for Electric Vehicles
At the news conference announcing the new Tesla hub, Gov. Dan McKee also touted new regulations that will ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. Rhode Island will join California, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington in the ban.
"With transportation responsible for 40 percent of our state's greenhouse gas emissions, we know that welcoming Tesla to the Ocean State will be a positive for both our environment and our local economy," McKee explained. "I thank Joe Paolino Jr. for his commitment to Rhode Island that continues to bring economic development opportunities and new businesses such as Tesla to our capital city."
The Tesla location in Providence will be the company's second location in Rhode Island. The first dealership opened in Warwick in 2019.
"As our legislature invests in the infrastructure needed to better prepare Rhode Island for the rapid growth of electric vehicles on our roadways, the opening of this Tesla Service Center is a great fit for the future," said Rhode Island Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi. "Tesla has been extremely successful in my home city of Warwick for the past four years, and this expansion into Providence is great news."
Other nearby dealerships can be found in Milford, Conn., and in three Massachusetts cities: Norwell, Dedham and Natick.
According to Rhode Island Energy, there are 500 electric vehicle-charging stations in the state.
"I'm excited to see a dynamic company like Tesla occupy this space and bring new life to the Reservoir and Elmwood neighborhoods [of Providence]," said City Councilman (Ward 8) and Majority Leader James Taylor. "My constituents work hard for their families. This facility will deliver new job opportunities, the ability to learn new skills, and be a part of the rapidly growing electric vehicle auto industry."
His colleague, City Council President Rachel Miller, said she shared in Taylor's enthusiasm for Tesla's new facility.
"Any time an innovative business decides to create a regional hub and home in Providence, that speaks volumes to what the city can offer," Miller noted in the Paolino Properties news release. "While Providence delivers a diverse workforce and strategic location, the city council, our partners in government, and the business community have shown a real commitment to supporting green energy initiatives.
"It's a new day in the city."
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