Commission backs Knightsville rezoning; developers pledge 15% deed-restricted affordable units

The Cranston Planning Commission on Sept. 2 voted to forward a positive recommendation to the City Council for an ordinance to rezone 1746 Cranston Street from C-5 (heavy business/industrial) to C-2 (neighborhood business) with conditions that would allow higher density and dimensional flexibility. The applicant said the project would rehabilitate an existing four-unit building and construct approximately 30 new condominium units; the developer offered 15% of units as deed-restricted affordable housing for at least 30 years.

Why it matters: the proposal targets Knightsville’s main-street corridor and is consistent with the city’s future-land-use intent for increased multifamily and mixed-use opportunities in that neighborhood. Commissioners and staff flagged parking, height and traffic as matters to be addressed during later major-land-development and site-plan review.

Attorney Robert Murray and developer Scott Aceto described the site as family-owned for decades and said the concept emphasizes contextual design and a mix of units with two parking spaces per dwelling proposed. Staff recommended approval, saying the rezoning aligns with the comprehensive plan’s encouragement of targeted housing production in the Knightsville area and noting comparable prior conditional authorizations in the city that paired increased density with affordable housing. Senior planner Jonas Bergman told the commission the proposed conditions follow recent precedent: increased density in exchange for 15% deed-restricted units and adjusted parking standards where appropriate.

Commissioners asked for clarity on parking and potential commercial uses. The applicant said the present conceptual plan does not include significant ground-floor commercial use but left that option for subsequent site-plan review; staff noted any commercial use would have to demonstrate required parking at the master-plan/preliminary stages. Commissioners also discussed traffic impacts and whether a traffic-impact study would be required at the master-plan level; staff said it would likely not be necessary for this scale in the Cranston Street location but that traffic would be evaluated during later review.

The planning commission’s motion to forward a positive recommendation passed by voice vote. If the City Council adopts the rezoning ordinance, the applicant will return for major-land-development and design review where parking, final unit count, affordable-unit deed restrictions and site design will be finalized.

Next steps: City Council ordinance committee review (a committee meeting was noted for Sept. 11 in the applicant’s remarks), followed by council vote and subsequent submission of a detailed master-plan/preliminary-plan application to the planning commission for approval conditions, parking and site engineering.