Public speakers press council on Longplex permitting; council funds limited archaeological study

Pat Ford, a representative of the Coalition Radio Network, used the public-comment period at the Oct. 27 Tiverton Town Council meeting to press the council to move more quickly on approvals related to the Longplex (Long Place) project, saying the business brings jobs and tax revenue to town. “My name is Pat Ford, and I’m with the Coalition Radio Network,” Ford told the council, adding that the project had been delayed by internal town conversations and that the business had been “nothing but a win-win” for the community.

Councilors then discussed permitting and planning-board procedures later in the meeting after an extended planning-board update and a separate agenda item from Councilor Camitto asking for an update on the status of a foundation permit for the project. The solicitor and town staff explained that, under state law and applicable case law, a building or foundation permit cannot be issued until the planning process reaches the stage required by statute; the council heard that the project’s preliminary-plan application had been certified complete after additional materials were filed on Oct. 22 and that a public meeting on the preliminary plan was scheduled for Nov. 6. The solicitor advised that issuing a foundation permit before required planning approvals would exceed the building official’s authority.

Separately, councilors voted to allocate up to $7,500 from council contingency to pay for a limited archaeological study of town-owned property in the planned development park. The motion, moved and seconded on Oct. 27, followed concerns raised at earlier planning-board meetings and by members of the planning staff that stone features on the property may warrant professional review. Councilors said the study is intended to clarify whether any cultural resources will affect sale or permitting of the parcel.

The council did not alter the planning board's role in adjudicating the preliminary- and final-plan process. Council members and outside counsel urged applicants to follow checklist requirements and to coordinate formally with town staff to reduce delays. Attorney Daniel Riley, counsel for the applicant, told the council the town's submission and checklist processes had contributed to delays and said his client sought limited foundation work to proceed this winter if possible; town staff replied that the planning office is transitioning to the state portal and that some procedural changes were underway.

The planning board public meeting on the preliminary plan is scheduled for Nov. 6. The council's $7,500 archaeological allocation is intended to be used to produce a professional assessment of the identified stone features; the motion authorized funding from council contingency and did not itself change planning-board timelines.