Planning commission approves one-year extension for Woodland Manor 3 preliminary plan

At its March meeting, the Coventry Planning Commission voted to approve a one-year extension of preliminary plan approval for Woodland Manor 3, a proposed planned-unit development that would add 92 affordable residential units at the Woodland Manor apartment complex.

The extension applies to a preliminary plan for a PUD on roughly 19.2 acres on Woodland Drive. Andy Burns, managing member of HK Woodland 3 LLC, told the commission the owners had faced “a tumultuous financing environment” and had only recently brought in a new partner and revived conversations with Rhode Island Housing. “We were hoping to have commenced on a major renovation and rehab of Woodland 1 and 2 back a year and a half ago,” Burns said, and added the team intended to begin additional engineering and planning work this spring.

The commission’s action was procedural: Mr. Kenny moved to grant a one-year extension; Mr. Reyes seconded the motion. The motion carried on a voice vote. Commissioners did not request additional conditions beyond the requested extension.

Why it matters: The project is tied to affordable-housing commitments for the Woodland Manor property and to future renovation work on existing Woodland 1 and 2 buildings. Burns said the applicants hope to begin construction on Woodland 1 and 2 this year and target mid-to-late next year for Woodland 3, but emphasized the timetable depends on financing and state allocations.

The applicant’s representative noted both the difficulty of assembling financing for mixed rehab/ground-up work and recent support from Rhode Island Housing. With the extension approved, the developer said it will proceed with engineering and planning tasks needed to pursue financing and building permits.

The commission did not take additional votes on Woodland Manor 3 at this meeting; the extension preserves the applicant’s existing preliminary approval for another year while the team completes the next steps.