North Kingstown Planning Commission Meeting Summary – September 2, 2025

The North Kingstown Planning Commission met at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at Town Hall, 80 Boston Neck Road, North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The commission considered waiver requests, two unified development review public hearings, zoning ordinance text amendments, a proposed meeting-time change, and administrative matters.

Franklin Commons LLP – Comprehensive Permit Checklist Waiver Request

• Staff recommended granting three checklist waivers for a proposed 66-unit major land development off Post Road at Assessors Plat 136, Lot 170, zoned Post Road: waiver of the fiscal impact statement, the state letter of eligibility, and the water modeling requirement at the master plan stage.
• The board voted unanimously to grant the three waivers, with those items required at the preliminary plan stage.

National Sign Corporation / Citizens Bank – 5945 Post Road

• The commission held a combined public hearing on the unified development review and dimensional variance request for new ground- and wall-mounted signs at the Citizens Bank site.
• The proposal replaces an existing ground sign, described at different points in the transcript as 14 or 15 feet tall, with a 12-foot sign. The zoning code limits solid ground-mounted signs to 5 feet in height, so a height variance was requested.
• The applicant also requested variances for two wall-mounted signs, each proposed at 16.46 square feet, exceeding the 10-square-foot limit by 6.46 square feet. Applicant representative Heather Dudko said the site is being rebranded to Citizens Bank's current sign design and that the building's setback required visible signage.
• Commissioner Steve Borowick noted the site plan appeared to show shrubbery removed; a plan note said landscaping would be re-evaluated and renovated.
• The board approved the requested zoning variances and the unified development plan review, with the combined preliminary/final approval conditioned on the zoning approval.

AdCare Rhode Island – 10 Additional Beds, 1950 Tower Hill Road

• The commission held a combined public hearing on AdCare Rhode Island's request to increase its existing convalescent care campus from 70 to 80 beds at Assessors Plat 036, Lot 005, in the Rural Residential zone and the groundwater recharge and scenic overlay districts.
• The applicant sought a special use permit and a dimensional variance. The 80-bed standard requires 800,000 square feet of suitable land; the site has 789,742.8 square feet, so a 10,257.2-square-foot dimensional variance was requested.
• Applicant representatives Richard Pastor and Alan Bianchini testified about the on-site membrane wastewater treatment system, a no-fertilizer landscaping contract, private ambulance contracts, the Department of Health's awareness of the 80-bed plan, and the need for additional beds to treat substance-use patients.
• Several commissioners expressed concern that prior approval conditions, including no-fertilizer signage and annual septic-system reporting, had not been fulfilled. The board discussed adding conditions requiring the applicant to coordinate with town engineering on nitrogen-loading inputs, submit monitoring reports, keep fertilizer off site, restore required signage, and continue private ambulance service.
• Board members indicated general support, but because the decision was lengthy, the public hearing was closed and the matter was continued to October 7, 2025 for formal approval of the decision.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Ricky Thompson of 194 Plain Road asked during the AdCare hearing why quarterly wastewater/septic reports would not be submitted to the town if they already exist, rather than waiting for an annual submission. He said he would want to know about a problem sooner rather than later.
• No other public comments were made during the public hearings.

Zoning Ordinance Text Amendments and Other Discussion Items

• Item 3.f, the A&B Holdings LLC application to amend the zoning ordinance to allow multifamily use in the Neighborhood Business District by right and add related development standards, was continued to the September 16, 2025 meeting at the applicant's request.
• The commission recommended to the Town Council amendments to Article X signs related to signs on awnings. Discussion focused on a proposed 30-percent awning-area sign limit and how signs on multi-tenant awnings would be allocated.
• The commission also recommended to the Town Council amendments to Sections 21:333 and 21:335 to allow administrative approvals for Historic District Commission matters, adopting the required zoning-purpose findings and comprehensive-plan consistency statement.
• The board discussed moving its meeting start time to 6:00 PM. Staff could not start at 6:00, but could start at 6:30. After discussion, the board decided to keep the 7:00 PM start time and revisit the issue later if schedules change.

Administrative Actions and Minutes

• There were no administrative actions to report.
• The minutes of the August 5, 2025 meeting were approved, with one member recusing.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimously granted the Franklin Commons LLP comprehensive permit checklist waiver request.
• Approved the Citizens Bank/National Sign Corporation zoning variances and unified development plan review.
• Closed the AdCare public hearing and continued the formal decision to October 7, 2025.
• Continued the A&B Holdings zoning text amendment to September 16, 2025.
• Recommended the awning-sign ordinance amendments and the Sections 21:333 and 21:335 administrative-approval amendments to the Town Council.
• Retained the 7:00 PM Planning Commission start time.
• Approved the August 5, 2025 meeting minutes.