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Tiverton approves three industrial-park land sales amid resident concerns about timing and transparency
Summary
The Tiverton Town Council voted unanimously to approve three purchase-and-sale agreements for parcels in the town-owned industrial park, authorizing Interim Town Administrator Jones to sign agreements. Economic Development Commission chair Renee and a resident speaker urged more transparency and a planning grant before sales.
The Tiverton Town Council voted unanimously Friday to approve three purchase-and-sale agreements for parcels in the town-owned industrial park and authorized Interim Town Administrator Jones to sign the agreements.
The sales cover (1) assessor's plat 107, lots described as "8 1 3, 8 1 4, 8 1 5, 8 1 6, 8 1 7, 8 1 8" to Street Legal LLC for a total purchase price of $277,663.18, (2) assessor's plat 107, lots 7‑20 through 7‑42 to Longplex Ice and Golf LLC for $858,393.50 and (3) assessor's plat 107, lots listed as 7575/1752 to LP Properties for $100,761. Each sale was described in the meeting as subject to adjustment "upon completion of survey and road abandonment" and by final per‑acre pricing, and each authorization included direction for the interim town administrator to sign the purchase-and-sale agreement.
Why it matters: the parcels are part of Tiverton's industrial park, property owned by the town that councilors and residents have discussed for years. The sales could move private development forward and change the town's approach to owning and managing industrial land.
During the meeting the council first introduced the three items under the interim town administrator discussion; each item was taken up and approved separately. The council president read the agenda resolutions associated with the items and called for motions. The votes on each item were recorded as unanimous: "five‑zero." No roll‑call votes naming each member were read aloud in the transcript beyond the final tally, but the council roster present was Councilor Camitto, Councilor Hayden, Councilor Edwards, Councilor Paul and Councilor Perry; Councilors Janek and Demodiras were absent.
Public comment and discussion focused on process and community information rather than the technical terms of the sales. Renee, chairperson of the Economic Development Commission, said she learned of the sales from residents rather than directly from the council and urged the town to pursue a Rhode Island Commerce grant to develop a plan for the industrial park before completing sales. "Quite frankly I don't know if this is a good proposal or not and that's my point," Renee told the council, adding that a grant-funded planning study "would have benefited the town and also Mr. Long" by clarifying lot size, topography and infrastructure needs.
A resident identified in the transcript as Ms. Black urged support for the proposal and described benefits she said local residents would enjoy if the project proceeds, saying, "This is an amazing opportunity." Several councilors spoke in favor of approving the agreements and moving forward with the sales; one councilor said the special meeting was called within 48 hours to avoid delaying a large project and to "save the deal," saying there were paperwork changes that would otherwise have required waiting.
The council also noted it will review the Rhode Island Commerce grant application that Renee referenced. At the end of the meeting the council president said the grant would be "get[ting] into the chief's hands" for review and could be placed on a subsequent agenda for further discussion.
Votes at a glance: all three purchase-and-sale agreements were approved unanimously (5‑0) and the interim town administrator was authorized to sign each purchase-and-sale agreement, with the sale prices and survey/road‑abandonment adjustments as recorded in the meeting.
What was not stated or resolved at the meeting: the transcript contains no final plats, no detailed breakdown of expected taxes or jobs tied to the sales, no approved development plans, and no precise per‑acre adjustments (each was described as to be adjusted by final survey). The Rhode Island Commerce grant was referenced and a copy of application material was handed to a council member for follow up, but no formal council action on the grant application was taken during this meeting.
Next steps: the interim town administrator was authorized to execute the agreements subject to the described adjustments; the council directed staff to review the grant material and consider the grant application at a future meeting.
