OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Cranston Planning Commission Meeting - August 4, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, August 4, 2026
BodyCranston, Rhode Island
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, August 4, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:47:38
Transcript — Verbatim
8:56

Well, I'm going to call this meeting to order.

8:58

My name is Steve Farris.

9:00

I'm the president slash chairman of the Cranston Planning Commission.

9:03

I have in front of me a quorum, so we will begin.

9:29

All those supposed to say nay, I have it.

9:31

Next matter on the docket is thirty parnum street.

9:36

It's my understanding that that matter has been requested for a continuance due to a problem with um a notice issue, I believe.

9:45

Is that correct, Mr.

9:46

Assistant Director?

9:50

That is correct.

9:50

The butter notices never went out.

9:53

Okay.

9:53

Well, we're going to continue that to our next scheduled meeting is nine.

10:02

So a motion, I would assume a motion to continue.

10:07

It's going to have to comply with the notice requirements.

10:09

So we will continue this to September 1st, 2026.

10:12

Is there a motion to continue this September 21st?

10:15

Excuse me, September 1st.

10:16

Go ahead, Commissioner Lampier.

10:18

Just a question.

10:22

Oh, that's an administrative subdivision.

10:24

I withdraw my question.

10:27

No problem.

10:28

Any other questions before we motion to continue this?

10:32

Okay.

10:33

Is there a motion to continue this matter until night September 1st?

10:36

Made by Commissioner Mancini, seconded by Commissioner Lampier.

10:39

Any discussion?

10:40

All those in favor continue to signify by saying aye.

10:43

All those opposed saying nay.

10:44

Ayes have it.

10:50

Next on the docket is the 3040 Cindy Lane project.

10:57

Is the applicant here and wishes to be heard on this matter?

11:02

Please state your name and address for the record.

11:04

Good evening.

11:06

My name is Samford J.

11:08

Resnick.

11:08

I'm the attorney for the applicant.

11:11

This matter is regards to lots 125 and 127 on flat 38.

11:24

Which is two lots, and the request, the simple request, is to create a third lot out of the two.

11:32

The history of this is that the Sylvestri family purchased lots or three lots.

11:51

Boil lots 126, 127, and 128.

12:05

In the name of his company, he bought the fourth lot.

12:11

So at that time, he owned 126, 127, 128, and 131.

12:21

Then over the next few years, there were administrative subdivisions.

12:28

Three of them that were done administratively.

12:30

The first one was administrative subdivision in 1997, which merged recorded lots numbered 133 and 134.

12:47

There was the second one in the year 2000.

12:50

Those were the merger of lots 132 and 133.

12:56

And then a third administrative subdivision.

13:00

And at that time there was two lots.

13:15

And now those two lots were requesting those two lots to be three lots.

13:19

All the lots at all times have met all the requirements of the zoning ordinance.

13:46

So I'm going to have Joe come in and who get as deep as this as you want.

13:51

We have a lot of technical things, but it's really a simple matter of taking these two large lots and making them to three large lots.

13:59

Joe.

15:00

Um respectfully 40 and 30 Cindy Lane.

15:04

And what the applicant would like to do, uh being in the R40 zone, he'd like to extinguish that um middle property line uh to create three lots.

15:15

Um we did have the wetlands delineated.

15:17

Uh we do have an intermittent stream that eventually runs its way to Furnace Brook.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning and Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████64%
Procedural█████7%
Engineering And Infrastructure████5%
Mixed Use Centers████5%
Economic Development████5%
Comprehensive Planning████5%
Public Engagement███4%
Signage Regulations██3%
Affordable Housing█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Cranston Planning Commission Meeting - August 4, 2026

The Cranston Planning Commission met on August 4, 2026, at 10:24 PM (EDT) under the chairmanship of Steve Farris. The agenda included a continuance request, a preliminary subdivision plan, several zoning board recommendations, a presentation on mixed-use centers and corridors, and the submission of the 2026 Comprehensive Plan Housing Element to state agencies. Key decisions included approval of the Cindy Lane subdivision, positive recommendations on three zoning items, negative recommendations on two others, and approval to submit the Housing Element for review.

Continuance

  • 30 Parnum Street: The item was continued to September 1, 2026, due to a notice error. Motion carried unanimously.

Preliminary Subdivision: 3040 Cindy Lane

  • The applicant, represented by attorney Samford J. Resnick and engineer Joe Kasali, sought to subdivide two existing lots (125 and 127 on Plat 38) into three lots in the A80 zone. The proposal required waivers for buildable lot area due to wetlands, and deferral of certain engineering plans to final stage.
  • Staff recommended approval with waivers for unsuitable land and deferral of soil erosion and sedimentation control plans. The commission discussed feasibility of well and septic on the reduced buildable area, with assurances from the applicant.
  • Outcome: The commission voted to approve the preliminary plan as recommended by staff, granting the waivers and conditions. The motion was made by Commissioner Barberi, seconded by Director Carrero, and passed unanimously.

Zoning Board Recommendations

89 Auburn Street (LOC Construction)

  • Proposal to legalize an existing two-family dwelling on a 5,000 sq ft lot. Staff recommended positive. Commissioner Lampier voted against.
  • Outcome: Positive recommendation approved (6-1).

0 Auburn Street (LOC Construction)

  • Proposal to construct a new single-family dwelling on a 5,000 sq ft lot. Staff recommended positive. Commissioner Lampier voted against.
  • Outcome: Positive recommendation approved (6-1).

309 Station Street (Eddie Pina)

  • Proposal to convert a single-family home back to a two-family dwelling. Staff recommended positive. Commissioner Lampier voted against.
  • Outcome: Positive recommendation approved (6-1).

547 Park Avenue (Yolanda Rosa and Neri Cruz)

  • Proposal to convert a three-family to a four-family dwelling. Staff recommended positive. Commissioner Lampier moved negative, highlighting density of 29.09 units/acre vs 200-ft radius density of 13.67. The commission voted unanimously for a negative recommendation.
  • Outcome: Negative recommendation approved (7-0).

250 Plainfield Pike (Colbia Enterprises)

  • Proposal to add an LED electronic message center to an existing sign. Staff recommended negative. Commissioner Carrero moved positive with conditions: no moving messages, change interval ≥30 seconds, operation during business hours. The vote was 4 in favor, 3 against.
  • Outcome: Positive recommendation approved (4-3).

1594 Broad Street (Jorge Jorge and Truman Herrera)

  • Proposal to convert a mixed-use building to a three-family dwelling. Staff recommended positive. Commissioner Lampier moved negative, citing lot size non-conformity (4,118 sq ft existing vs 14,000 sq ft required), high density (31.73 vs 16.5 in 200-ft radius), and insufficient parking (4 spaces provided vs 5 required). The vote was 5 in favor of negative, 2 against.
  • Outcome: Negative recommendation approved (5-2).

Mixed-Use Centers and Corridors Project

  • Director of Planning presented the project, focusing on three corridors: Rolfe Square/Park Avenue, Elmwood Avenue, and Broad Street. The proposal is to create overlay districts to encourage mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly development, with height limits up to 35 feet in most areas (4 stories on Elmwood with bonuses), design guidelines, and parking reductions. Commissioners discussed taking an incremental approach, starting with Elmwood Avenue due to its housing potential, and urged staff to provide examples for education. No formal vote was taken; the discussion will inform future drafting.

2026 Comprehensive Plan Housing Element

  • Chairman explained the draft Housing Element would be submitted to statewide planning for review. It includes housing production targets and strategies, with a focus on increasing affordable housing. Commissioner Lampier raised a concern about the phrase "by right" in the schedule of ordinances for neighborhood-based zoning. The commission agreed to remove the phrase. Motion to submit with the revision was made by Commissioner Lampier, seconded by Commissioner Hexter, and carried unanimously.

Public Comments

  • Annette Bourne (51 Community Drive) spoke in support of the variances and zoning requests, emphasizing the need for more housing in Cranston, particularly in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods near transit.
  • A written comment from Sean Sierra (260 Aqueduct Road) questioned the high parking requirement for the Broad Street project given frequent bus service on Broad Street.

Adjournment

  • The meeting adjourned at approximately 11:10 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Well, I'm going to call this meeting to order. My name is Steve Farris. I'm the president slash chairman of the Cranston Planning Commission. I have in front of me a quorum, so we will begin. All those supposed to say nay, I have it. Next matter on the docket is thirty parnum street. It's my understanding that that matter has been requested for a continuance due to a problem with um a notice issue, I believe. Is that correct, Mr. Assistant Director? That is correct. The butter notices never went out. Okay. Well, we're going to continue that to our next scheduled meeting is nine. So a motion, I would assume a motion to continue. It's going to have to comply with the notice requirements. So we will continue this to September 1st, 2026. Is there a motion to continue this September 21st? Excuse me, September 1st. Go ahead, Commissioner Lampier. Just a question. Oh, that's an administrative subdivision. I withdraw my question. No problem. Any other questions before we motion to continue this? Okay. Is there a motion to continue this matter until night September 1st? Made by Commissioner Mancini, seconded by Commissioner Lampier. Any discussion? All those in favor continue to signify by saying aye. All those opposed saying nay. Ayes have it. Next on the docket is the 3040 Cindy Lane project. Is the applicant here and wishes to be heard on this matter? Please state your name and address for the record. Good evening. My name is Samford J. Resnick. I'm the attorney for the applicant. This matter is regards to lots 125 and 127 on flat 38. Which is two lots, and the request, the simple request, is to create a third lot out of the two. The history of this is that the Sylvestri family purchased lots or three lots. Boil lots 126, 127, and 128. In the name of his company, he bought the fourth lot. So at that time, he owned 126, 127, 128, and 131. Then over the next few years, there were administrative subdivisions. Three of them that were done administratively. The first one was administrative subdivision in 1997, which merged recorded lots numbered 133 and 134. There was the second one in the year 2000. Those were the merger of lots 132 and 133. And then a third administrative subdivision.

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