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Planning board grants conditional master-plan approval for Longplex Ice & Golf; 18 conditions and continued technical reviews set
Summary
The board conditionally approved the Longplex Ice and Golf master plan with 18 conditions, including archaeological assessment and engineering items from a June 25 consultant memo. The project will still require state permits, fire marshal and building-official determinations about use codes and parking before building permits are issued.
The Tiverton Planning Board granted conditional master-plan approval Sept. 9 to Longplex Ice and Golf LLC for a proposed sports complex that would include two ice rinks, multiple pickleball courts, a driving range, virtual golf stations, a restaurant and associated support spaces.
Attorney Daniel Riley, representing Longplex, told the board the application returned to the planning board after a July 1 continuation and after the council abandoned two roads (Enterprise Way and Communication Drive) that were conditions of closing on land the developer has under contract. Riley said the project team is working with the town building official and the fire marshal to determine applicable building-use codes for modern athletic facilities and that those reviews will determine final capacity and parking requirements.
The board reviewed an Ashley Sweet memorandum that summarized submitted materials and proposed a draft decision. Sweet had added two new draft conditions during the meeting: one requiring the applicant to address items identified in a June 25, 2025 memo from consulting engineer Nathan Michael as part of the preliminary-plan application, and one explicitly making approval subject to the Town Council adopting the comprehensive-plan and zoning ordinance amendments the board recommended earlier in the meeting.
Public comment included concern from Susan Anderson and another resident about the presence of stone walls and stone mounds on the property; Anderson said she had consulted a University of Connecticut stone-wall expert who recommended preservation. The applicant said on-site walks and surveying had not identified stone mounds requiring additional study and noted the project will be subject to Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management review and permits; DEM can flag natural-heritage or historic-preservation concerns as part of its process.
The board’s motion approved conditional master-plan approval subject to the 18 conditions outlined in Sweet’s memo (as amended at the meeting). Those conditions include submission of required engineering responses at preliminary plan stage, an archaeological assessment to confirm no historical or archaeological features in build areas (with specific attention to on-site rock piles), and addressing items in Nathan Michael’s June 25 engineering memo. Planning staff said other reviews — DEM permitting, TRC (technical review committee), and fire-marshal/building-official determinations — will still be required before final approvals and building permits.
Board action: The planning board voted unanimously to grant conditional master-plan approval, subject to the 18 conditions in the consultant memo and the two meeting amendments. The approval does not waive state permits or local technical reviews; it allows the project to proceed to the preliminary-plan stage with required follow-up tasks.
What’s next: Applicant must return with a preliminary plan that addresses the consultant memos and the archaeological assessment; the building official and fire marshal must make final determinations of use code and related life-safety items before building permits can be issued.
