OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

North Kingstown Planning Commission Meeting – November 7, 2023

Planning Commission — Tuesday, November 7, 2023
BodyNorth Kingstown, Rhode Island
SessionPlanning Commission
DateTuesday, November 7, 2023
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:32:51

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Meeting.

0:01

Uh first item on our agenda tonight is a surety reduction.

0:05

Uh for Tide Mill North.

0:06

We have a uh inter-office memorandum sent to us stated November 2nd.

0:14

And I believe that uh Ali Spox, our deputy director of public works, town engineer generated this.

0:26

Um it is signed on the back of the first page.

0:30

And this is a proposed reduction of 539,571 dollars and sixty cents, leaving a proposed guarantee to be held after the reduction of one hundred eighteen thousand dollars six hundred and um I'm sorry, one hundred and eighteen thousand six hundred and seven dollars and seventeen cents.

0:51

Um does anyone have any questions on this?

0:58

Ali would like to be here, but she broke her ankle and could not make it to the meeting.

1:03

So yes.

1:07

When I didn't see her, I thought we were gonna have some different news.

1:10

Yeah, I thought when she called me, but no, not that news yet.

1:13

That's what I thought too.

1:14

Okay.

1:16

Uh-huh.

1:16

Uh with that would anyone like to make a motion to approve this reduction as written.

1:21

I'll make that motion.

1:21

We approve the reduction as written.

1:23

Is there a second?

1:24

Second.

1:25

So motion a second.

1:26

Any discussion?

1:28

All in favor?

1:29

Aye.

1:29

Any opposed?

1:30

Okay, that's six zero.

1:33

Uh next item on the agenda, development plan review the application of Celco partnership DBA Verizon Wireless.

1:40

Uh to erect a communications tower and other associated improvements to be located 772 Fletcher Road, North Kingstown, also known as Platte 84 lot two zone rural residential.

1:51

This was continued from October 3rd, and the applicant has requested a continuance in this matter.

1:59

Uh these are normally routinely granted, but we usually continue to date certain.

2:05

Do we want to pick a date?

2:06

Sure.

2:07

They requested the first available meeting after January 1st.

2:11

Um your first January meeting is the second, so we were assuming we weren't holding that one, and so we propose January 16th.

2:19

January 16th.

2:20

Okay.

2:33

Okay.

2:34

Is there a motion to continue this to January 16th, 2024?

2:39

I'll make that motion that we continue it to January 16th, 2024.

2:44

Second.

2:45

I'll second.

2:46

Motion and a second.

2:47

Any discussion?

2:48

All in favor?

2:50

Aye.

2:50

Any opposed?

2:51

Okay, that's 6-0.

2:53

Uh next item on the agenda is a master plan informational hearing, the application of AR building company for post-road apartments, a 77-unit major land development located off a post road.

3:06

Uh cessus plat 136 lot 9 and 21 zoned post road.

3:14

The applicant is here.

3:16

Um just uh for the applicants in the public's benefit, uh generally staff will walk this through through us first, and then after questions, we'll give you an opportunity to present anything that you have.

3:31

This is a master plan hearing for a 77-unit land development project on assessors plat 136 lot nine.

3:39

The property has access over um lot twenty-one, which if you look at the picture on page two of your staff report, is the it was previously the southern entrance to this lot, um, but the applicant didn't a minor subdivision that you approved last year, last year, year before, um, to give frontage to the lot twenty-one that was also at that time it was a condo lot.

4:05

So in that subdivision, you created that law and gave it that front to the bottom.

4:09

So there is still that easement that goes over that, which is a shared easement.

4:13

It's where the driveway is now that you went through to get to the site visit.

4:17

Um the applicant is proposing to have 31 one-bedroom units and 46 two-bedroom units with a minimum of 20% affordable.

4:26

Um the zoning on this well, it meets the it meets the zoning for post-road for the 10 units per acre with 20% affordable.

4:33

Um you've seen different renditions of this project that have had different numbers.

4:37

Um, and the applicant took a lot of your advice and came back with a project that actually meets the intentions of the post-road district.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning█████████████████████████████████████████████55%
Affordable Housing████████10%
Procedural███████9%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████6%
Zoning Ordinance█████6%
Historic Preservation███4%
Comprehensive Planning██3%
Economic Development██3%
Public Works█1%
Summary of Proceedings

North Kingstown Planning Commission Meeting – November 7, 2023

The North Kingstown Planning Commission met on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at 7:00 PM at Town Hall to consider several land development applications, including a surety reduction, a telecommunications tower continuance, a master plan for a 77-unit apartment project, a pre-application for a residential compound, and a discussion on zoning ordinance amendments. The meeting was chaired by James Grundy.

Consent Calendar

  • Surety Reduction: Tide Mill North – Approved unanimously (6-0). The reduction was for $539,571.60, leaving a remaining guarantee of $118,607.17. The memo from Deputy Director of Public Works Ali Spox was reviewed.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Everett Stewart (North Kingstown Land Conservancy) – Expressed appreciation for the cooperative approach by AR Building Company regarding three agreed-upon items: placement of a pedestrian path, boundary markers, and legal access to the Land Conservancy’s adjacent lot. He requested that the planning commission note these agreements in the record.
  • George Morabit (Applicant, Gilbert Stuart Estates) – Provided historical context for the property, emphasizing his family’s long history in North Kingstown and his intent to keep the land as a family compound. He stated that he never took tax benefits for the development rights donation and that the land swap is a correction of errors from the 1990s.

Discussion Items

  • Development Plan Review: Verizon Wireless Tower (Continued) – The applicant requested a continuance to the first available meeting after January 1, 2024. The commission granted a continuance to January 16, 2024, by a 6-0 vote.
  • Master Plan Informational Hearing: Post Road Apartments (AR Building Company) – A 77-unit major land development (31 one-bedroom, 46 two-bedroom units) with 20% affordable (minimum 16 units) on Post Road. The project meets the Post Road district density of 10 units/acre, provides 1.6 parking spaces per unit, and has 28% impervious coverage. The applicant presented a revised plan that reduced the scale from a previous 138-unit proposal based on commission feedback. Staff noted that the project is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and meets zoning requirements. The Land Conservancy’s conditions were acknowledged. The commission reached a positive consensus on the master plan, subject to Conservation Commission comments and final approval, and continued the item to December 5, 2023, by a 5-0 vote.
  • Preapplication: Gilbert Stuart Estates (George Morabit) – Proposal to subdivide 7.17 acres into four residential lots (0.8-acre right-of-way) and three open space lots (12.12 acres) on a total 20-acre residential compound. The site is zoned Rural Residential and is within the groundwater wellhead and recharge area. The applicant explained that a historical error in development rights donations (maps 1522 and 1599) requires a land swap with the Town Council. The commission found no conceptual issues with the compound design and recommended that the applicant first obtain a corrective action from the Town Council before proceeding to master plan. No formal vote was taken at pre-application stage.
  • Discussion: Zoning Ordinance Amendments – Staff distributed a packet of proposed changes to implement new state laws, including inclusionary housing, technical review committee updates, and adaptive reuse provisions. The commission agreed to hold a workshop on November 21, 2023, to further discuss the amendments, with a deadline to act by January.

Key Outcomes

  • Surety Reduction – Approved 6-0.
  • Verizon Tower Continuance – Continued to January 16, 2024, by a 6-0 vote.
  • Post Road Apartments Master Plan – Consensus positive; continued to December 5, 2023, for formal consideration of findings and conditions (including Conservation Commission input). The applicant agreed to address the Land Conservancy’s three conditions (pedestrian path, boundary markers, legal access).
  • Gilbert Stuart Estates Preapplication – No objections; the applicant will proceed to the Town Council for a land swap correction before returning for master plan review.
  • Zoning Ordinance Amendments – Discussion deferred; next workshop scheduled for November 21, 2023.
  • Meeting Adjourned – Motion carried.

Meeting Transcript

Meeting. Uh first item on our agenda tonight is a surety reduction. Uh for Tide Mill North. We have a uh inter-office memorandum sent to us stated November 2nd. And I believe that uh Ali Spox, our deputy director of public works, town engineer generated this. Um it is signed on the back of the first page. And this is a proposed reduction of 539,571 dollars and sixty cents, leaving a proposed guarantee to be held after the reduction of one hundred eighteen thousand dollars six hundred and um I'm sorry, one hundred and eighteen thousand six hundred and seven dollars and seventeen cents. Um does anyone have any questions on this? Ali would like to be here, but she broke her ankle and could not make it to the meeting. So yes. When I didn't see her, I thought we were gonna have some different news. Yeah, I thought when she called me, but no, not that news yet. That's what I thought too. Okay. Uh-huh. Uh with that would anyone like to make a motion to approve this reduction as written. I'll make that motion. We approve the reduction as written. Is there a second? Second. So motion a second. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that's six zero. Uh next item on the agenda, development plan review the application of Celco partnership DBA Verizon Wireless. Uh to erect a communications tower and other associated improvements to be located 772 Fletcher Road, North Kingstown, also known as Platte 84 lot two zone rural residential. This was continued from October 3rd, and the applicant has requested a continuance in this matter. Uh these are normally routinely granted, but we usually continue to date certain. Do we want to pick a date? Sure. They requested the first available meeting after January 1st. Um your first January meeting is the second, so we were assuming we weren't holding that one, and so we propose January 16th. January 16th. Okay. Okay. Is there a motion to continue this to January 16th, 2024? I'll make that motion that we continue it to January 16th, 2024. Second. I'll second. Motion and a second. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that's 6-0. Uh next item on the agenda is a master plan informational hearing, the application of AR building company for post-road apartments, a 77-unit major land development located off a post road. Uh cessus plat 136 lot 9 and 21 zoned post road. The applicant is here.

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