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Tiverton Planning Board continues major hearings, approves two minor subdivisions and several zoning items
Summary
The Tiverton Planning Board on Aug. 5 continued three public hearings to Sept. 9, approved two 2‑lot minor subdivisions with required variances, recommended new rules to allow cat rescues and cat shelters and voted to ask the Town Council for additional expert review before allowing a construction‑and‑demolition recycling use in the PDP zone.
The Tiverton Planning Board on Aug. 5 continued three advertised public hearings to Sept. 9; approved two separate 2‑lot minor subdivisions with associated dimensional variances; recommended zoning language to add “cat rescue” and “cat shelter” uses and gave conditional preliminary approval to a cat‑rescue plan at 137 Main Road; and voted to send a letter to the Town Council urging additional expert review before allowing a proposed construction‑and‑demolition (C&D) recycling use in the PDP zone.
The board began by noting that agenda items 1–3 would be rescheduled to Sept. 9 because public notice requirements had not been met. The board then voted unanimously to continue the public hearing tied to the proposed zoning ordinance amendments for a commercial athletic recreation facility and to continue the Longplex Ice and Golf LLC major land‑development master plan application, extending the town’s review “time clock” to Oct. 10, 2025.
In two separate agenda items the board granted dimensional variances and preliminary/minor subdivision approvals for parcels at 340 Stafford Road (Sylvester Da Silva) and 0 Lake Road (Kevin and Sonia Lombardi). In both matters the board approved variance relief for minimum lot area and lot‑width requirements and then approved the subdivisions with conditions requiring all federal, state and local permits before final plan recording and a corrected plan title/notations (for example, correcting a mislabeled “administrative subdivision” to “minor subdivision” and updating the zoning district label where needed). The approvals were unanimous.
On zoning text the board voted unanimously to add definitions and district‑use table entries for “cat rescue” and “cat shelter” and to adopt proposed performance standards for those uses. The board then heard a related development‑plan application from Amanda Souza (Baja’s Cat Café) to convert interior space at 137 Main Road for a non‑public cat rescue; the board granted preliminary plan approval conditioned on adoption of the new ordinance by the Town Council and a determination letter from the building/zoning official prior to filing a final plan.
The board also heard a high‑level concept presentation for a multi‑parcel site along Fish Road by Falconeri Construction. The board did not vote on that concept; members expressed multiple concerns including potable‑water availability, traffic and school impacts, wetland crossings, emergency‑response access and site topography.
Finally, after discussion of testimony presented at a July Town Council meeting, the board voted unanimously to send a letter to the Town Council asking it to solicit specific expert opinions (public health, drinking‑water authorities including Stonebridge Water and the City of Fall River, conservation commission, municipal enforcement capacity, tax assessor and real‑estate professionals, and affected business owners) before deciding whether to permit a C&D recycling facility in the PDP zoning district. The board said the additional input would help the council evaluate potential impacts and whether the PDP site is the highest‑and‑best use for the land.
Votes at a glance (actions recorded on the Aug. 5 meeting): - Continue public hearings (items 1–3) to Sept. 9, 2025; extend the Longplex time clock to Oct. 10, 2025 — motion passed, unanimous. - Sylvester Da Silva, 340 Stafford Road — dimensional variances approved; minor subdivision preliminary plan approved with conditions (permits, corrected plan title, building/zoning determination letter) — motion passed, unanimous. - Kevin & Sonia Lombardi, 0 Lake Road — dimensional variances (suitable lot area relief and shared driveway easement) approved; 2‑lot minor subdivision approved with conditions (permits, no further subdivision other than administrative subdivision, zoning district label correction, building/zoning determination letter, recorded easement prior to final plan) — motion passed, unanimous. - Zoning amendments to add “cat rescue” and “cat shelter” (definitions, district use table, performance standards) — recommendation to council passed, unanimous. - Amanda Souza (Baja’s Cat Café), 137 Main Road — preliminary development plan approval conditioned on Town Council adoption of the cat rescue/shelter ordinance and a building/zoning determination letter prior to final plan — motion passed, unanimous. - Letter to Town Council urging expert review before permitting a C&D recycling facility in the PDP — motion passed, unanimous.
The board flagged several follow‑ups for staff: distribute outstanding application materials related to recent subdivisions, finalize as‑built plan submissions for Abigail Estates, circulate the URI groundwater study recruitment materials, and coordinate with the Town Council on the requested expert input regarding the PDP/C&D question.
The board meets next on Sept. 9; hearings continued from Aug. 5 (items 1–3) will be re‑noticed to that session.
