Planning and Community Development

Originally constructed circa 1890 by the Valley Falls Company, the Old Post Office behind Town Hall was likely intended to be used as a company store. In the years since, it has been used as a post office, a library, and a grocery store with an upstairs residence. Click here to view the National Register application for the Cumberland Town Hall Historic District, which includes more information about the building.

The Town hopes to establish an Office of Community Based Health and Engagement (OCBHE) within the Old Post Office as an outlet wherein various local organizations—including Cumberland’s all paramedic-level EMS Department, the Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center, and the Northern Rhode Island Food Pantry—can provide services in the heart of Valley Falls among some of Cumberland’s most underserved populations.

The Town was granted money from the RI Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission to hire an architectural firm with experience in the adaptive reuse of historic buildings last year, and the since-hired Northeast Collaborative Architects determined in February that rehabilitation of the building will cost an estimated $1.8 million. In order to complete the project, the Town is applying for a Community Development Block Grant in the amount of $1.2 million, with the remaining $625,000 to be funded by monies allocated to the Town through the American Rescue Plan Act.

The Town of Cumberland is partnering with American Forests to raise awareness of the relationship between the number of street trees in urbanized areas and social equity, public health, economic development, impacts on our rivers and streams, and quality of life.

Click HERE to access Cumberland’s “Tree Equity Score Analyzer” (TESA) GIS map that shows the tree canopy throughout the Town. It is interactive- you can plant new trees to increase the TESA score, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood. It is engaging and eye-opening to the value of trees in our community.

The Broad Street Regeneration Initiative is a partnership between Cumberland, Central Falls, Pawtucket, RIDOT, the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, the Rhode Island Foundation and a number of other private and public organizations, focusing on maximizing best design practices and economic development opportunities for the $16.5M road reconstruction project scheduled to be completed June 2022. Click here for more information.

Widely recognized as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor was established by Congress in 1986. Just a few years earlier in 1983, the EPA placed 920-acres within it, including the proposed New Pond Park site, on its National Priorities List.

In May of 2020, the Town Council adopted the New Pond Park Conservation and Management Plan, which can be viewed here. It includes further exposition on the history of the site and detailed plans for remediation.

Ultimately, after the site has been remediated and capped, the Town aims to have a 62-acre park alongside the Blackstone River that includes trails, paved walkways, connection to the Blackstone River Bikeway, enhanced river access, and other recreation amenities.