North Kingstown Planning Commission Meeting - July 16, 2024
North Kingstown Planning Commission Meeting - July 16, 2024
The North Kingstown Planning Commission met on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at 7:00 PM in Town Hall to consider a zoning variance and preliminary land development application, approve a construction cost estimate bond, and grant a continuance for a solar project public hearing. The meeting was adjourned at 7:09 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes Approval: The Commission unanimously approved the minutes from May 21, 2024 (5-0) and June 4, 2024 (as amended, 5-0). For the June 4 minutes, a minor edit was made to clarify language regarding Ms. Saunders' coordination with the town engineer.
Discussion Items
- Item 3a: Post Road Apartments (Decision): The Commission considered the Unified Development Review for a zoning variance and preliminary land development project by A.R. Building Company for a 77-unit major land development off Post Road (AP 136 Lot 9 and 21, zoned Post Road). The matter had been continued from May 21 and June 18, 2024. The Commission received an updated decision document with minor corrections and three additional findings to further support the decision. After brief discussion, the Commission voted unanimously (5-0) to approve the decision as amended.
- Item 3b: Sanctuary Estates Construction Cost Estimate: Mr. Cooper presented a request to recommend a total bond of $918,450.11 for the Sanctuary Estates project. The applicant requested that the bond be initially approved as a total, with the ability to later split the bond between two separate roadways (each potentially bonded individually). This would allow one roadway to proceed while the other remains pending. The Commission found the request reasonable and voted unanimously (5-0) to accept the bond total with the understanding that the applicant may return to request a split allocation.
- Item 3c: NKGM 1 Solar Public Hearing (Continuance): The Commission held a public hearing for the combined master and preliminary plan application of NKGM 1, LLC for a major solar development located off Firwood Drive, Maplewood Drive, and Elmwood Drive (Plat 153 Lot 2 and Plat 154 Lot 5, zoned Light Industrial, in Groundwater Wellhead and Recharge Area). The applicant, Kevin Morin of Green Development, requested a continuance to September 17, 2024, due to the complexity of the project and the need for additional review time. The Commission noted that the date avoids scheduling conflicts with summer concerts. The continuance was granted unanimously (5-0), with the requirement that any supplemental materials be submitted at least 14 days in advance.
Key Outcomes
- Post Road Apartments: Approved the decision (5-0).
- Sanctuary Estates: Approved the bond of $918,450.11, with allowance for future split (5-0).
- NKGM 1 Solar: Public hearing continued to September 17, 2024 (5-0).
- Minutes: Approved minutes for May 21, 2024 (5-0) and June 4, 2024 (as amended, 5-0).
Meeting Transcript
First item on the agenda item 3A is a decision, the unified development review for a zoning variance application and preliminary land development project application of AR building company for post-road apartments of 77 unit major land development located off a post-road assessors plat 136 lot 9 and 21 zone post road continued from May 21, 2024 and June 18th, 2024. And everyone should have an updated uh decision that Becky provided tonight, it which includes the removal of a repetitive word on I believe it was page five or six. Page five under each. And there were three additional um findings uh just to firm up the decision, um added on page 11 of 12 that were put in from the draft we got. And I I think those are all very consistent. They just uh document the decision a little bit more thoroughly. Yep. They're just adding three sections of the ordinances, regulations that were part of the review. Okay. Um had a chance to look at this, and I assume that there's no other comments, questions. Anyone would like to make a motion to approve the decision as amended. I'll make the motion to approve as amended. Is there a second? A second. The motion and a second. Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Okay, that's 5-0. Thank you. Thank you, Nancy. He beat your time. 701. Uh next item on the agenda is a construction cost estimate for sanctuary estates. And I believe everyone has received this. I I believe Mr. Cooper is going to make a request for um consideration after the fact uh that we would be moving tonight to recommend the bond with a total of $918,450 and eleven cents. But this would be done, allowing the applicant to come back in the future and ask uh the town engineer uh to divide this appropriately between the two roadways so that each roadway could be considered to be bonded individually uh rather than the total and aggregate. It shouldn't have any bearing on the total number. It would just be the way that they are allocated. Is that correct? Could that impact is are there any phasing requirements on this project? No, they they have created they have set it up so that they could do the two roads separately. Um just when they requested the bond reduction or uh we we do it as a whole, we didn't do it separately, so we can take the total. It may not be exactly even, it may be a couple of things that are you know on the front portion of it. Um, but we'll come back to you. It'll be the theme number, just divided amongst the two different roadways. This way they can move forward. Okay. Seems reasonable. Especially because one could be built and the other could sit for two years. Um anyone like to make a motion uh to accept the bond total of 918,450 11 cents, with the understanding that they still have the right to come back and ask that that be oh, we're gonna ask that that be done. Um I'll be sending Nicole a letter probably the next couple of days asking that have that bond split between the two, I guess, phases, if you will. Always been two different projects. We're gonna post the entire uh inspection fee though at one time for both of them, just so we can get one underway before we have to come back for the for the split. And whatever time they need to get that together is fine. Uh we just want to get going on the one phase that's going to be recorded and uh completed. As soon as possible. Thank you.
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