A stretch of lawn outside the Rhode Island State House could be opened to real estate development as part of a plan being considered by state transportation officials.

The state Department of Transportation says it's in the early stages of looking for developers who could build a new bus-train hub near the Providence railroad station.

A spokesman for the agency says a request for qualifications could be sent out later this month. In addition to a transit hub, the public-private project could also include a commercial or residential high-rise building. One of the possible sites is on the eastern edge of the State House grounds.