Plan commission backs Cranston Printworks redevelopment but urges engineering peer review after dam, floodway concerns

The Cranston City Plan Commission delivered a positive recommendation to the Zoning Board of Review for a variance needed to redevelop portions of the former Cranston Print Works property, but planning staff and several commissioners urged independent technical review before final regulatory approvals.

Planning staff said the redevelopment concept — which would convert historic mill buildings to mixed uses including apartments and self-storage — aligns with the city’s redevelopment goals, but noted that parts of the site lie in the 1-percent floodplain and are partially within the regulatory floodway. Staff recommended an engineering peer review of the project’s hydrologic and hydraulic analysis and direct consultation with the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) before the city approves encroachments within the floodway.

“Planning staff cannot review the hydrologic analysis and recommends an engineering peer review and consultation with Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency before proceeding,” Planning Director Kathleen Ashman told commissioners.

The applicant said the project team had submitted state permits, removed a deteriorated building (Building C) to gain more compensatory flood storage, and prepared an analysis that indicates the redevelopment would not increase base flood elevations. Project engineer Michael Malinowski said demolition of Building C would yield roughly 95,000 cubic feet of additional flood storage within the project area and that the developer plans to floodproof building perimeters and design site drainage to reduce runoff to downstream areas.

Attorney Robert Murray, representing the developer, said the redevelopment includes a mix of housing and self-storage and noted the site’s historic industrial character and existing legal entitlements. Murray described the work as a phased rehabilitation; he said some apartment units would be sited above the regulatory flood elevation and that the first-floor uses in flood-prone areas would be non-habitable (self-storage or parking).

Commissioners expressed interest in seeing independent verification of the hydrology and floodcompensation calculations. Commissioner Lanphier said he supported the concept but preferred the peer review to be completed so the city and the public had an expert, independent assessment before approving exemptions from local code provisions that are intended to reduce flood risk.

The commission adopted a motion instructing staff to forward a positive recommendation to the zoning board for a waiver of the city code provision (Section 17.16.108(b)) that would otherwise require a lowest-floor elevation three feet above the mapped Base Flood Elevation — with staff and commissioners noting that any local waiver would not relieve the applicant from complying with applicable state or federal requirements. The motion also captured a request that technical, peer review and agency consultation occur at the next review stages.

Planning staff also flagged a related regulatory item: the Cranston Print Works Dam had a recent notice of violation because inspectors could not complete parts of their annual inspection due to dense vegetation; the developer has cleared vegetation and the state dam office will re-evaluate the structure. Project representatives said they were coordinating with the state and expect to address dam-related items as part of permitting.

The commission’s action was advisory to the Zoning Board of Review and federal and state approvals remain necessary for work proposed within mapped flood zones.