Planning board allows 19 Centennial Drive applicant to reapply to Zoning Board after revised parking plan, asks for fire-department review

Attorney John Kelty told the Providence Planning Board on Aug. 21 that he is seeking the boards endorsement so his client can reapply to the Zoning Board of Appeals for changes at 19 Centennial Drive.

Kelty said the revised plan pares back earlier requests to remove landscaped strips and instead proposes cutting into a curvature area to add parking. "This is a matter that I had taken to the zoning board of appeals last month," Kelty said, and that the new plan "is changed enough and different enough, to deserve to be back before the board." He told members the earlier application had been denied by the ZBA and that the new design yields fewer lost landscaped areas while adding parking.

Why it matters: Providence zoning rules and the ZBAs procedures restrict applicants from reapplying within two years after a denial unless the planning board finds a substantial change. The boards formal finding is a required procedural step for the applicant to seek another variance.

Board members asked technical questions about sight distance and emergency-vehicle turning ability at the northeast corner where the landscaping would be removed. One member said the change is being proposed so "we will have a proper turn," and suggested confirming turning radiuses; another member recommended the planning board include a condition that the applicant consult the fire department.

The board voted to allow the petitioner to reapply to the Zoning Board of Appeals, with the condition that the petitioner consult with the fire department about turning radiuses for the northeast corner of the parking lot. The motion to allow reapplication carried on the boards recorded affirmative votes.

Background and details: Kelty showed two plans: the March 27 plan that the ZBA rejected, and an Aug. 5 revision that retains the Summit Street landscaping and limits new paving to the rounded curb area. The petitioners redesign reduces the extent of landscape removal and introduces a smaller encroachment; Kelty said the change would yield some additional spaces by making existing spaces slightly deeper. A board member recited the applicants representation that the shaded areas on the plan represented existing landscaping and that the proposal would add 11 parking spaces.

Next steps: The planning boards vote does not approve construction or zoning relief; it allows the applicant to return to the Zoning Board of Appeals with the revised plan. The applicant must proceed through the ZBA process and any required permitting. The planning board asked that the applicant consult with the fire department before the ZBA hearing to confirm emergency access and turning radiuses.