Tidewater Landing Stadium

Tidewater Landing Stadium is a 10,500-seat soccer-specific stadium currently under construction in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Once completed, it will be home to Rhode Island FC, a member of the USL Championship. The stadium will be located next to the Seekonk River as a part of a larger neighborhood development and is expected to be completed by Spring 2025.^[1][2]

Tidewater Landing Stadium

Construction almost finished in early 2025
Address	200 Taft St, Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States of America, 02860
Coordinates	41°52′08″N 71°22′57″W
Owner	Fortuitous Partners
Capacity	10,500-11,000
Surface	Artificial turf
Construction
Broke ground	August 16, 2022
Built	2022–
Opened	2025 (anticipated)
Construction cost	US$132,000,000
Architect	Odell, JCJ Architecture
General contractor	Commerce Corporation
Main contractors	Dimeo Construction
Tenants
Rhode Island FC (USLC) Boston Banshees (WER)

History

Development and construction

Development

The stadium was first announced on December 3, 2019, by then-Governor Gina Raimondo and Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien at an estimated cost of US$80 million, with a seating capacity of 7,500.^[3][4] The development, called Tidewater Landing, aimed at developing the riverfront and creating a new mixed used development at a total cost of around $400 million.^[5] The stadium was expected to open by 2022, ready for the Rhode Island FC to begin play in the 2022 USL Championship season.^[6]

Construction over the development was hindered with problems regarding the site, as toxic materials due to industrial waste led to dangerous levels of toxins being found in the soil on the development site.^[7] However, by October 2022 the contaminated waste was cleared and construction was greenlighted,^[8] with Dimeo Construction was named as the primary construction contractor.^[9][10]

Financial issues

Funding stood to be a constant issue for Tidewater stadium. With worries over safeguards and guarantees over public money being used properly,^[11] with the need of private funding and multiple rounds of grants to help contribute to construction.^[12][13] June 2022 put the project into question, as the state government stood at a deadlock on whether or not to accept a request by developers for $30 million more dollars to continue construction, jumping the projected cost from $59 million to $126 million.^[14][15] After a 6–5 vote, with two abstinences,^[16] $36 million in funds, that was originally set aside towards funding apartments and homes on the development site, was redirected all towards the construction of the stadium.^[17]

Public bonds again were again withheld in March 2023, citing market worries due to rising inflation and continued effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.^[18] By early 2024, all funding for the stadium had been secured, mostly in the form of bonds expected to be paid back over a time period of thirty years,^[19][20] totaling around $54 million.^[21]

Construction

A ground-breaking ceremony was hosted in August 2022,^[22][23] before being paused due to a lack of funding.^[24] Construction resumed by the fourth quarter of 2023, before construction again was paused in early 2024 due a new issue arising on the subject of funding.^[25] Finally, construction was finally continued by February 2024.^[26] The main structure beams were all put into place by mid-June 2024, celebrated in a topping-off ceremony.^[27][28]

Installation of seats began in late September 2024.^[29] By December 2024, installations of the seats, sound system, and video board had been completed, and the artificial turf began to be installed.^[30]

Planned opening

The stadium is expected to open by May 3, 2025, for Rhode Island FC's scheduled regular season home game against San Antonio FC. RIFC plans to have the stadium operational sometime in April, and the team could host a game in the third round of the 2025 US Open Cup before the regular season opener.^[31]