Balancing Density, Community, and Environment at the Met 

Marshall Properties is redeveloping the former Metacomet Golf Course in East Providence, RI, into a vibrant, high-density waterfront community featuring apartments, duplexes, townhomes, a town center retail hub, and public amenity spaces. A key element of the team’s vision for The Met is preserving and restoring nine historic Donald Ross–designed golf holes as a public amenity, blending new development with the site’s heritage.  

To guide this transformation, Marshall Properties engaged Bohler’s  planning, landscape architecture, and design team to lead the master planning process — addressing site challenges, shaping design and layout decisions, identifying constraints, and proactively engaging with the community. 

Master Planning for Resilience and Stewardship

The site presented significant challenges, including steep topography, protected resource areas, easements, limited access points, and a sensitive waterfront location. Bohler began with a comprehensive site analysis, evaluating grade changes, circulation, and constraints, and tested multiple layouts to optimize feasibility and functionality.  

As the master plan evolved, the team turned these challenges into design opportunities — restoring the shoreline with naturalized buffers to filter stormwater, converting manicured areas into wildlife habitats, and incorporating recharge areas for natural stormwater management — enhancing the water quality of the site and adjacent Watchemoket Cove.  

Engaging the Community

Throughout the planning process, Bohler acted as a strong advocate for the client, engaging with the community to demonstrate the project’s benefits and address early concerns. By providing initial conceptual sketches, development programming, yield studies, and comprehensive master planning documents, the team helped town officials, stakeholders, and investors visualize the site’s potential before other consultants joined the project. 

Thoughtful strategies ensured the development complemented the surrounding neighborhoods. These included significant buffers, building height limits, reduced density along residential edges, public access to open space and a newly restored nine-hole golf course, as well as a connected trail network with pocket parks, trailhead parking, and a roundabout linking to the Providence River Walk.

Additionally, Marshall Properties donated a nine-acre parcel to the city for future recreational use, further enhancing community benefits. 

Translating the Master Plan into a Buildable, Environmentally Sensitive Site

Working from the conceptual master plan, Bohler’s engineering team refined the vision into a technically viable site design that supported permitting and construction while responding to grading, drainage, and utility requirements.  

Because the site drains toward a protected coastal cove, stormwater management was a critical focus, requiring close collaboration across a multidisciplinary team. Currently, Bohler is coordinating with Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) and Coastal Resource Management Commission (CRMC) to secure permits for the project’s impact to this area. At the same time, sewer tie-in requirements are being addressed by partnering with a specialized utility contractor. Through pre-construction CCTV inspections, the team will verify existing pipe conditions and identify potential issues early in the process.  

Integrated Teams Driving Better Outcomes

Bohler’s ability to bring in-house planners, site civil engineers, and landscape architects together from the outset allowed for a truly integrated approach to the project. This collaboration ensured that design, infrastructure, and environmental considerations were fully coordinated, streamlining decision-making and reducing conflicts during permitting and construction. By combining expertise across disciplines, Bohler was able to translate the master plan into a buildable, resilient framework that maximizes both community benefits and development efficiency. 

Moving Forward with a Vision

The Met master plan brings to life a dynamic, mixed-use waterfront community, featuring approximately 890 multifamily apartments, 22 duplexes, 24 townhouses, and 153,000 SF of commercial space.  

With roughly 60 acres now under active development, the project is shaping a vibrant, integrated neighborhood that blends residential, commercial, and recreational opportunities while preserving the site’s historic and environmental character.