[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6651776,"mediaKeyId","2497493-a6ddb763f7da07c0844cca9672c26e9d","parentId",2497493,"title","Developer pitches mixed residential plan for Mulligan’s Island; city and residents stress traffic, schools and preservation","audioSeconds",4659,"startMs",1062000,"endMs",5721000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2497493-a6ddb763f7da07c0844cca9672c26e9d&start=1062&end=5721","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2497493-a6ddb763f7da07c0844cca9672c26e9d/thumbnail_1062000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6651776/Cranston-City/Providence-County/Rhode-Island/Developer-pitches-mixed-residential-plan-for-Mulligans-Island-city-and-residents-stress-traffic-schools-and-preservation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6651776-4212d73233207092fa84df19538ba072/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141412&Signature=XJKPqShX~vYkS5jXklX8vmYS2RoZjGrI7HNc11AaV62QA3q0TqwkZ-pVzyVFp4kx06VCLLaZX9nYQH~e-9ZfeWjxDFx-IJqgGk9b4Z8LMVjfiXKh1BfzUJnTpyXddPHZH2~jWgGZrq-X1TtKz7Qh6EHYtNPm147USMTRr1mub2ZcOpLeVykDVD0RIBU8eZWCxSTHEAC2WnogR9FLzoOVlLNUwT3RsRvF80LzYf8cDOt-TSf6AHalaLrpdnjn2MVl0gO1WWd3BLs4moZRQxvOW~HiuS~hzavUoVDaoUMadSv5V2PSlZld0RWrBtROSCFkBGUVjDQKkcnCAIV6mfV1XA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author"," City of Cranston","date","2025-03-05T03:32:33.757Z","article","Mulligan’s Island LLC representatives told a joint session of the City of Cranston Planning Commission and City Council that they intend to seek a new zoning designation to allow a mix of single-family, duplex/townhouse and multifamily housing on the 55-acre property currently developed as Mulligan’s Island.

City planning director Beth Ashman opened the workshop with background on the parcel, saying the site has a mixed-plan-development (MPD) designation tailored to the Cranston Sports and Entertainment Center and that any substantially different use will require a council zone change. She and other city staff told the audience that any redevelopment proposal will require traffic and stormwater engineering reviews and that the historic Daniel Congdon Cemetery on the site “needs to be preserved with a 25‑foot buffer.”

The developer’s attorney, John Mancini, said his client wants the parcel rezoned to permit residential development within an MPD so multiple housing types can be planned together. Mancini and project engineer Greg Guglielmo described a concept that places lower-density single-family housing along the existing neighborhood edges, staged duplex/townhouse units in a mid-ring and multifamily buildings near the state‑owned Howard Complex and the New London Avenue corridor. Mancini said the owner will now work with staff and the two bodies to draft an ordinance that would allow residential uses and identify site‑specific conditions.

Toby Arment, a housing fellow funded by the Rhode Island Department of Housing and assigned to the city, summarized local housing need: household formation has outpaced housing production, median home prices have risen sharply, and multifamily housing produces far fewer students per 100 units than single‑family development. Arment’s slides — shown by staff in the meeting — were used as context for the developer’s residential proposal.

Residents and local officials focused questions and comment on a small set of recurring concerns: traffic on New London Avenue and nearby neighborhood cut‑throughs; stormwater and flood risk; the number of new students that would be added to Garden City/West Hills schools; the preservation of the Daniel Congdon Cemetery and its 25‑foot buffer; the recently rebuilt playground adjacent to the site; buffers and screening between any new housing and the state prison; wetlands and open‑space protection; and the percentage of required affordable units.

Mancini and Guglielmo said the concept currently preserves roughly 30% of the parcel as open space in their sketch plan and that buffers of roughly 50 to 100 feet are being proposed between new development and existing homes. Mancini also told the bodies that a portion of the area currently used by Mulligan’s Island is state‑owned and leased to the operator; that parcel would not be part of any private development unless the state elected to change its use. He said the team expects multiple phased approvals: conceptual review with the planning board, a city council ordinance, and then project‑level engineering, state agency reviews (e.g., Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Management) and subsequent final plan reviews.

Multiple speakers pressed for clear conditions if the council permits a new MPD that allows residential: mandatory traffic studies and mitigation, a credible stormwater/drainage plan designed to current standards, a clear guarantee that the existing playground would be restored or rebuilt in the same area if disturbed, and a written preservation plan for the Daniel Congdon Cemetery. Several council members and staff said they expect any rezoning ordinance to include enforceable development conditions rather than an open “by‑right” allowance without site controls.

Public comment reflected a split in the audience. Supporters — including housing advocates and several residents — said the city needs more housing and that the parcel is a rare, infrastructure‑ready opportunity for new homes. Other residents and council members emphasized the local impacts: traffic congestion, school capacity and flood risk. The vice chair of the school committee asked the city and developer to require a school‑impact analysis before a final approval.

Mancini said the owner is willing to include conditions in a draft ordinance and that the project team will return to the planning board and council with more detailed plans, studies and proposed conditions. No formal action or vote was taken at the workshop; the developer confirmed a petition for a zone change has been filed and that the planning board will prepare findings and recommendations before the council ordinance committee and the full council consider an ordinance.

What’s next: the developer will work with planning staff to draft a prospective MPD ordinance that includes proposed conditions and then present a formal application through the planning board and council review processes. Staff and council members asked the public and neighbors to provide written input to the planning department before the next formal hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","March 4, 2025, City Council/City Plan Commission Joint Workshop and City Plan Commission Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Mulligan’s Island LLC representatives told a joint session of the City of Cranston Planning Commission and City Council that they intend to seek a new zoning designation to allow a mix of single‑family, duplex/townhouse and multifamily housing on the 55‑acre Mulligan’s Island property.","taxTitle","Cranston City, Providence County, Rhode Island","taxId",4549,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6651771,"Planning commission grants two extensions, backs laundromat and one variance, rejects another infill variance",1961,11728000,13689000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2497493-a6ddb763f7da07c0844cca9672c26e9d&start=11728&end=13689","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2497493-a6ddb763f7da07c0844cca9672c26e9d/thumbnail_11728000.jpg","/articles/6651771/Cranston-City/Providence-County/Rhode-Island/Planning-commission-grants-two-extensions-backs-laundromat-and-one-variance-rejects-another-infill-variance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6651771-e44d187895963a5b78f5c719021fc0ac/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141412&Signature=DL8ca7Ei4hGx~~SBpP0~ZvUqzNjkIdpjMt5DW3hTYRVGrvXS4YJ3j9t5KG4TIf~D8xVkgUEIwLmAJPlmetR3gDlIl3OwjmjL8wrkykHHexVQthDIBL9qpUagTqmOZH6SKWVyBTov359PtX97pSnCa9UuExZqDY-te7kwXB2CTfpol8nULesHzJ5qy4zO4aeKTjCiL0gbtnmzDQwD7SeVLky0-Zt-sUSvaCcZiqj4eWqm2ozEN51M7PLHVWNoT6-aZFyP1E7XjzhCDP-xrY~8~qtdiEqmgTfeQn53kyGT-RNDAk1jsVOzC2ml7PCRQJx6KujvoXt4kFJqcPNiCAORJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cranston Planning Commission handled a short slate of procedural and zoning‑review items after the joint workshop. Commissioners approved 1‑year extensions for two previously vested development projects; recommended that a proposed laundromat in an M‑2 (industrial) zone be permitted as an adaptive reuse; recommended a dimensional variance on Farmington Avenue for an existing single‑family house; and voted to forward a negative recommendation on a Whiting Street infill lot variance.

Extensions: The commission unanimously approved a one‑year extension for Knight’s Corner Development’s vesting period (extension to 2026‑05‑02). The commission also approved a one‑year extension for the Cranston Printworks vesting period (extension to 2026‑04‑04). Both extensions were presented by attorney Robert Murray and supported by planning staff.

Adaptive reuse: The commission reviewed an application to reuse a vacant building on Elmwood Avenue as a self‑service laundromat in an M‑2 (industrial) district. Planning staff recommended a positive referral, noting the parcel’s commercial/industrial transition along Elmwood Avenue and the adaptive‑reuse nature of the proposal. The commission voted to forward a positive recommendation to the zoning board for the laundromat.

Farmington Avenue variance: Staff explained that the owner at 175 Farmington Avenue sought to amend a previously granted variance (from a 2022 approval) because amended building plans raised the attic height above the originally approved measurements. The parcel is in a B‑1 zone; staff recommended the planning commission forward a positive recommendation to the zoning board. The commission voted in favor.

Whiting Street (0 Whiting Street) infill variance: Planning staff presented a dimensional‑variance request to construct a single‑family house on a substandard lot; the request would result in a density of approximately 9.2 units per acre, exceeding the future‑land‑use map’s prescribed density for the area. After discussion, a motion to send a negative recommendation to the zoning board passed on a 6–3 vote. Commissioners who opposed the recommendation said the proposed development would exceed the area’s future‑land‑use density and could invite further lot‑by‑lot infill that changes neighborhood character.

Subdivision regulations / checklists: The commission also reviewed updated administrative checklists (administrative, minor and major subdivision and unified development review checklists). Commissioners voted to adopt the revised checklists but deferred adoption of the fee table itself to the City Council; the commission added a staff‑friendly clarification that owners of record must sign applications.

Votes and next steps: The laundromat and Farmington variance will be forwarded to the zoning board for final action. The Whiting Street application will be forwarded with a negative recommendation. Both extensions will keep the affected projects vested for an additional year while applicants prepare next steps.

Meeting attendance and context: Planning staff and counsel participated; attorney Robert Murray attended to present extensions; the meeting also included multiple commissioners and representatives from the planning department. The meeting record shows standard roll‑call motions (ayes have it) for the approved items and a recorded roll call in the Whiting Street vote (6–3).","The Cranston Planning Commission approved one‑year extensions for two vested projects, recommended an Elmwood Avenue laundromat and a Farmington Avenue dimensional variance, and issued a negative recommendation on a Whiting Street infill variance (6–3).","actionData","errors"]

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Developer pitches mixed residential plan for Mulligan’s Island; city and residents stress traffic, schools and preservation

Planning commission grants two extensions, backs laundromat and one variance, rejects another infill variance