Plan commission approves 5-lot R&T Estates subdivision with waivers; private road, conservation concerns raised

The Cranston City Plan Commission voted to approve a five-lot subdivision for a 29-acre parcel on Leighton Knight Road, granting waivers for road width and sidewalk standards and attaching conditions including homeowner association maintenance of the private drive and drainage, sewer design approval and limits on manicured lawns to preserve the site’s rural character.

Staff recommended approval after review by the Technical Review Committee and municipal departments, and the applicant told the commission the layout was driven by extensive wetlands and was intended to minimize impervious cover. Tanesa Azar, the applicant’s representative, said the plan proposes five single-family lots with a private internal road and that each of the parcels would exceed 80,000 square feet of developable area once wetlands and drainage easements are accounted for.

“I do have Sam Hemingway here from Garifalo. He can give you a little bit more of a technical overview,” Azar said during the presentation, adding that the design reduced pavement widths and omitted sidewalks to preserve the rural character.

Public comment came primarily from neighbors and conservation advocates. Douglas Doe of the West Bay Land Trust urged the commission to consider a conservation subdivision that would consolidate wetlands into a dedicated conservation lot; he told the commission, “I look at this, it's mostly wetlands. And I have to ask, did anyone ever consider doing a conservation subdivision for this property? And it just cries out for it.” Another abutter, Nicholas Capessa, said he did not oppose the subdivision but asked why the road was proposed as private rather than a public street, and the applicant and staff explained the private-road approach reflected the site constraints and the TRC’s feedback that the city would not accept the road as public under the proposed design.

Staff’s approval included three specific waiver requests (reduced paved width for a private road, reduced right-of-way paving, and no sidewalks) and several conditions: obtain sewer design and approvals from engineering and the sewer authority; create an HOA to manage the private drive and drainage infrastructure; provide a distinct new street name and mailboxes; and limit the manicured lawns outside the limited development envelope.

Vice President Rob Coop moved to accept staff’s recommendation and Commissioner Carrera seconded. The commission approved the project by voice vote; staff recorded no roll-call objection.

The commission also noted that, while the developer had considered conservation-oriented alternatives, the proposal before them complied with current local subdivision standards and the technical constraints posed by substantial wetlands on the parcel. The developer and staff agreed to continue working with neighbors on potential easements or access arrangements to address abutter concerns about access to the private road.