North Kingstown Planning Commission Meeting – June 16, 2026

The North Kingstown Planning Commission met in person at Town Hall on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. The Commission acted on a surety release, two waiver requests, a data center zoning discussion, and held a public hearing on the proposed new Wickford Middle School. Chair Richard Lipsitz and Commissioners Patrick Roach, Steven Borowick, Tracey McCue, Margaret Kerr, and Joseph Donohoe were present. Recurring microphone and audio problems throughout the meeting drew criticism from members of the public and the Commission.

Surety Release and Waiver Requests

• 250 Sachem / Sachem Woods surety release: Planning staff recommended releasing the surety after site inspections and follow-up work corrected winter-related issues. The Commission voted to recommend that the Town Council release the surety bond.
• Patriot Builders waiver, 6828 Post Road: The applicant requested waiver of the Major Land Development checklist requirement for hydraulic modeling during the completeness stage of a unified development review. The project involves adaptive reuse of the existing building plus a new five-unit residential building for 17 total units at Assessor’s Plat 146, Lots 131 and 205-210. Staff noted that water supply must still be demonstrated before approval. The Commission granted the waiver.
• AutoZone development plan review waiver, 1007 Ten Rod Road: AutoZone requested a waiver of development plan review for a retail-to-retail conversion of the former Staples building in the Wickford Junction District and groundwater recharge area. AutoZone District Manager Lewis Usher said most work is internal, no exterior storage is planned, and waste oil would be collected in 75-200 gallon containers picked up by Safety-Kleen about every five weeks. Commissioners and staff were concerned about recycled oil and battery storage in the groundwater recharge area. The Commission did not approve an unconditional waiver; it voted to keep development plan review for the recyclable oil and battery handling issue while waiving the remaining development plan review checklist items.

Public Hearing: Proposed Wickford Middle School

This item was a unified development review of the North Kingstown School Department’s zoning relief application for a major land development project at 250 Tower Hill Road, Assessor’s Plat 116, Lot 73, zoned Public and located in the Scenic Overlay District. A site visit was held the previous morning, and the Conservation Commission had reviewed the project on June 11.

• Project overview: Erica Schechter of Peregrine Group said the project represents a $74.5 million investment. The plan is to demolish the existing Wickford Middle School and construct a new three-story, approximately 41,800-square-foot school on the 12.38-acre site. Construction is targeted to begin fall 2026, with students in the building for the 2028-2029 school year. Shawmut Design and Construction described four phases: enabling work from August through October 2026, new building construction, demolition, and athletic field and stormwater completion from November 2028 through June 2029. Construction access would be off Route 1 to separate construction traffic from school operations.
• Traffic and parking: Par Corporation’s traffic assessment concluded the proposal would have a negligible effect on area traffic, with any increase likely due to general growth. The Tower Hill Road entrance would be restricted to buses and service vehicles, while parent drop-off would queue from Phillips Street. The plan proposes 74 parking spaces, based on a School Department recommendation of 63 spaces, plus about 29 informal overflow spaces on a widened driveway; the existing site has 71 spaces.
• Stormwater, septic, and utilities: The stormwater system is designed per the Rhode Island Stormwater Manual and would improve conditions from the 1-year through 100-year storm. It includes a partially lined infiltration and detention system and would maintain or reduce peak flows to the existing RIDOT outfall. The existing septic system/OWTS would be reused with a new grease trap, septic tank, and pump tank, subject to RIDEM permits, and CRMC review is also planned. If public water is used for irrigation, full hydraulic water modeling would be required.
• Landscape and buffer variance: The applicant requested a dimensional variance from the 25-foot landscape buffer where the school property abuts residential uses. The landscape architect said the plan would add year-round evergreen screening, retain existing stone walls, remove about 30 trees, more than half of which are invasive Norway maples, and plant 134 new trees. Some areas cannot provide the full 25-foot buffer due to existing driveways, historic stone walls, grade changes, drainage infrastructure, retaining walls, and the existing leaching field. Some proposed athletic fields are currently alternates rather than base-budget items.
• Lighting, energy, and emergency power: Photometric plans show LED site lighting with no spillover onto neighboring properties, and no athletic field lights or sound systems are proposed. The applicant said 60 kilowatts of roof solar PV is included. Commissioner Joseph Donohue, who also serves on the Building Code Board of Appeals, said the board denied the town’s requested relief from the 2024 energy code and wind-borne debris glazing requirements. The base project includes a 200-kilowatt generator; larger generator alternates would support a relief center, not a full emergency shelter, which has higher standards.
• Construction communication: In response to abutter concerns, Shawmut said superintendents would contact neighbors, provide monthly newsletters describing expected work, and restrict truck deliveries during student drop-off and pickup times.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Matt Schreiner, a direct north-side abutter, expressed concerns about whether parking lot lighting would operate 24 hours a day, the specific conifer plantings along the north property line, the existing RIDOT drainage system that runs under his driveway, and the condition of the chain-link fence. He asked about contacting the project team about a possible fence accommodation.
• Mary Wara urged the town to meet the 2024 International Energy Conservation Code, future-proof the school with electric-ready infrastructure, and treat electrification as necessary rather than optional. She said many residents voted for the bond because of the net-zero and energy-efficiency promise.
• Richard Welch of 8 Arrow Lane said the audio failure should have led to cancellation, called the project the largest bond in town history at $74.5 million compared to $33 million for the high school, opposed any reduction to residential buffers, and raised concerns about field lights, sound systems, architecture, windows, and storm-shelter code compliance.
• Ricky Thompson asked whether the building would be a safety shelter, whether generators would be provided, and whether windows would meet wind standards.

Commission Deliberation

The Commission debated whether the requested buffer variance should be tied to construction of the athletic fields, since some fields are alternates. Applicant’s civil engineer David Potter said the intent is to build the fields, and the applicant would accept a variance tied to the specific plan; if the plan changed, the applicant would work with staff or return to the Commission. Commissioner Tracey McCue opposed granting the variance, saying it would be unfair to neighbors if the fields are not built and that the town should lead by example. Staff advised that the variance should be treated as a yes/no decision tied to the submitted plans and that any major deviation would require the applicant to return.

Data Center Zoning Discussion

The Commission was notified that staff are drafting potential amendments to the North Kingstown Zoning Ordinance related to data centers. The current proposal under discussion is to prohibit data centers town-wide. No action was taken, but a Commissioner asked that storage facilities be included as a separate amendment topic.

Administrative Actions and Minutes

• Staff reported that an administrative subdivision approval off North Quidnessett had to be re-signed because the prior approval was not recorded within the required time limit.
• The Commission approved the minutes of the June 2, 2026 meeting.

Key Outcomes

• The Commission voted to recommend that the Town Council release the surety bond for 250 Sachem / Sachem Woods.
• The Patriot Builders checklist waiver was granted.
• The AutoZone development plan review waiver was not granted unconditionally; a narrowed review focused on recyclable oil and battery storage will proceed.
• For the Wickford Middle School, the Commission voted to grant the requested landscape buffer variance as shown on the submitted plans, with one dissenting vote, and then voted to issue a positive recommendation for the master and preliminary plan. Staff will prepare a formal decision, and the hearing will continue at the July 21, 2026 meeting. Conditions include coordination with the Water Department and full hydraulic modeling if public water is used for irrigation, recording the stormwater operations and maintenance manual, annual O&M reporting to the town engineering department, and fire department approval of the final turning radius plan.