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Natick Avenue fire prompts inspections and questions over nursery use, mulch and asphalt piles
Summary
Public comment and an administration update on Feb. 24 addressed a November fire at 460 Natick Ave.; the administration reported a Feb. 19 inspection found no city code violations and said the site operates under a nurseryman’s license.
The Feb. 24 Cranston City Council meeting included public comments and an administration update about a late‑November fire at 460 Natick Avenue, a property used for nursery and landscaping operations.
Local business owner Alan Moyo spoke during public comment about cleanup work he had paid for after a fire and said he had hired machinery to screen and separate compost and debris. That testimony was followed by an administration report that inspections staff visited the property on Feb. 19 and found no city code violations. The administration said the property carries a nurseryman’s license and that the use is a legal nonconforming use under the Right to Farm Act.
City officials said the Division of Fire found the November blaze was caused by dry conditions and a pile of leaves and brush; the fire marshal’s report and the inspections memo were offered for circulation to council members. Inspection staff noted a large pile of asphalt at the site that is scheduled to be removed in early spring when thaw allows removal; the administration asked the operator to certify that vehicles on site are related to the nursery business.
Council members sought written inspection reports and asked staff to check whether state rules regulate mulch‑pile heights or other materials that could be combustible. Councilmembers also questioned whether any vehicle repair or commercial activities beyond nursery work were occurring at the site; the solicitor and administration said if equipment is being repaired privately by the property owner it may not trigger auto‑repair licensing thresholds, but if third parties bring vehicles for repair that could be a different regulatory matter.
The administration agreed to scan and circulate the fire marshal memo and the Feb. 19 inspection memo to the clerk for distribution to council members and to check with DEM or state authorities about any applicable state standards regarding mulch or compost pile storage.
