North Kingstown Planning Commission Meeting – June 21, 2022
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
North Kingstown Planning Commission Meeting – June 21, 2022
The North Kingstown Planning Commission convened on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at 7:30 PM in the Municipal Offices Court Room. The meeting addressed two main agenda items: a continuance request for a minor modification at Cottages at Weeden Farms (Item 3B) and a continued public informational hearing on a major land development comprehensive permit for a duplex at 289 Essex Road (Item 3A). The commission also recognized outgoing Commissioner Paul Dion.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Stephen Lamendola (abutter at 289 Essex Rd.) expressed concerns about the character of the proposed duplex, arguing it does not fit the neighborhood and criticizing the method of obtaining frontage by following the stone wall contour. He noted that one nearby duplex is being converted to a single-family home.
- Tyler Miller (attorney for abutter Jared Cello at 245 Essex Rd.) raised the possibility that the town has reached or has plans to reach the 10% affordable housing threshold under RIGL 45-53-4, which could allow the board to deny the comprehensive permit even if all findings are met. He urged the board to consider that option given abutter objections.
- Mike Logee (abutter) provided detailed comments on affordable housing numbers, citing the comprehensive plan’s projection of 194 additional units needed by 2039, and noted that North Kingstown was eighth in the state and highest in Washington County for affordable housing percentage as of 2020. He also raised concerns about the legality of the 2019 administrative subdivision that created the current lot configuration, stating that it turned a conforming lot into a non-conforming one without proper board review, and questioned whether the plans accurately reflect lot status.
Discussion Items
- Item 3B – Minor Modification Request for Cottages at Weeden Farms: The commission moved this item ahead of 3A. The applicant’s attorney requested a continuance to the next available meeting in July. The commission voted unanimously (6-0) to continue the hearing to July 19, 2022.
- Item 3A – Master Plan Application for 289 Essex Road (North K Properties, LLC): This was a continued public informational hearing from April 5 and May 3, 2022. The applicant seeks a comprehensive permit under RIGL 45-53 for two low- and moderate-income duplex units on a lot in the Neighborhood Residential (NR) zone.
- Staff Report: Planning staff summarized new submissions: a revised site plan and soil erosion control plan updated to show the approved OWTS location, driveway, and water line. Staff contacted RIDEM regarding stormwater requirements; because the disturbance is under one acre and no wetlands are affected, the project only needs to address new impervious surfaces using single-family lot standards. No landscaping plan or sight-distance analysis was submitted, despite earlier requests. Public works comments were also received.
- Applicant’s Presentation: Attorney James Cooper presented surveyor Chris Palmer and engineer Richard Carigan. Palmer explained the frontage measurement along the stone wall, possible encroachments (lawn, driveway), and the driveway relocation to the east side to meet side setbacks. Carigan described the OWTS (approved in 2017, designed for four bedrooms but only two needed), stormwater calculations using a 25-year storm (exceeding DEM’s single-family standards), and the proposed erosion control measures.
- Commission Discussion: Commissioner Paul Dion asked about maintenance of permeable driveway – noted that the property owner (North K Properties) would be responsible. The project is age-restricted. There was extensive discussion about the need for a landscaping plan to address visual impacts, sight-distance analysis for the driveway, and architectural design to better match the neighborhood. The applicant agreed to provide a landscape plan (by Colin Hines) and to move the driveway permanently to the east side in the future. Chairman Grundy emphasized that the landscape plan is critical for making positive findings on comprehensive permit standards. The commission also clarified that the lot is legally non-conforming in width, and no dimensional variances are being sought.
- Affordable Housing Context: Commissioner Dion asked about the impact on North Kingstown’s affordable housing stock; staff noted the project would add two units. Discussion revealed that the town currently has 961 affordable housing units (excluding those without certificates of occupancy), with additional units at Reynolds Farm (80 total, 40 online), Rolling Greens (15 units, ~11 affordable), Pinewood (22 affordable), and several other projects in the pipeline. The town’s comprehensive plan outlines a goal of 10% affordable housing, which staff stated the town has plans to achieve.
Key Outcomes
- Vote to Continue Item 3B: Unanimous (6-0) to continue the minor modification request for Cottages at Weeden Farms to July 19, 2022.
- Continuation of Item 3A Hearing: The commission decided to continue the public informational hearing to allow the applicant to submit additional materials: a landscaping plan (focusing on buffering from abutting properties), sight-distance analysis for the driveway, and revised architectural renderings to better fit the neighborhood character. The applicant’s deadline for submissions was set for August 16, 2022, and the extension for the overall application was extended from September 30 to November 30, 2022.
- Adjournment: The meeting adjourned after the commission thanked outgoing Commissioner Paul Dion for his 13 years of service.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. Welcome to the Tuesday June 21st Planning Commission meeting. Um I will like to move item 3B ahead of 3A tonight. Which uh 3B is a discussion decision, a minor modification request for cottages at Wheaton Farm, a major subdivision land development to move inclusionary units off-site the modification request by South Sam properties, weedham farms located assessors plat four, lots three and twenty-one zone rural residential. The request is to move units to two fifty Sageum Road, SACHM acres located assessors plat 148 lot 261 post road. We do have a request in from the applicant's attorney. And they are asking to continue this uh uh from June 24th to the next available date in July, which usually we don't have a planning commission meeting if it falls after the fourth. Do you have availability on that in the call? So if anyone was here for that application rather than make you sit through the first one. Okay, so the request would be to move this um to July 19th. So moved. The motion is a second. I'll second. Motion is second. Is there any discussion? All in favor. Aye. Any opposed? Six zero. Thank you. Uh next item on the agenda is the public informational hearing, master plan application by David Calwell Senior of Virginia Calwell, also known as North Cape Properties LLC for a major land development comprehensive permit project. Property located assessors plat 158 lot 21 in a neighborhood residential zone. This was continued from April 5th 2022 and May 3rd, 2022. The applicant is here. They did submit some new documents. And as is customary, we'll ask staff to walk us through anything they have for us before giving the applicant an opportunity to present their documents. Yep, and um Jim, I won't rehash um the whole overview that we typically give, but just to highlight um, and it's included in the memo include in the packet, um, just the new information submitted by the applicant. They did revise the site plan and the soil erosion and sediment control plan. Um both plans show the revised um or the approved location for the OWTS. Um and they also show the um proposed location for the driveway and the water lines, so um the applicant can address any other changes, but that kind of g highlights the the major changes. Um they also submitted a portion of the stormwater regulations for single family residential lot development in your packet as well. Um the uh planning commission had uh inquired about the stormwater calculations and how they were conducted, and I did give a little summary in the SAP report um that I had contacted DEM directly to ask them what the requirements would be. And um I had emailed him a description of the project and that they had designed it on the 25-year storm and whether or not they had to do it for a 50 or 100 year instead. And he asked me, you know, a bunch of questions, mainly um if it was uh less than one acre of disturbance, which it is, if it was altering any sort of wetlands, which it it is not, and they asked whether North Kingstown had any separate um stormwater regulations, which we do not. Um conclusion, he said they just have to address the any new impervious surface, and he said it he they would just use those, you know, single family lot standards. So that was just a phone conversation that I had with him, and the applicant can also speak to that in their engineer. Um at the end of the last meeting or as part of the discussion at the last meeting, the commission also asked about um whether you could get a landscaping plan of some kind that would help you, even though it's master plan stage. Um it would help you in making positive findings on the standards for a major land development project in the in the um Lomot housing requirements. We did not receive any any landscaping plans, and also you had inquired about um some sort of site distance analysis, not like a full traffic study, but just some sort of analysis where the proposed um driveway would go. Um, but we haven't received anything on that either. And I know the intention with both of those, even though it is master plan stage was going to assist you in making um positive findings on on those uh standards for a major land development project. Um we also received um some comments from the deputy director of public works. I did send her the revised site plan and soil erosion plan, and she had a few comments which I summarized in the staff report. Um, and then we received um uh correspondence from the Lamandolas um with who are in a butter to the project, and then we also received a packet of information from Mr. Logie. Um he had brought it to the last meeting, but he officially submitted it as part of the record. It was in your packet tonight. Um that's it. That's all the new information. Anyone have any questions of staff?
openpublica.com