Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use High Rocks topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves High Rocks rezoning and four variances for four‑unit project
Summary
After a continuation of the public hearing, the council granted a rezoning from manufacturing to residential‑urban and approved four variances to allow construction of a four‑unit building at High Rocks; the planner and applicant said the proposal had been vetted by town boards and a traffic study.
The North Smithfield Town Council voted to grant a zone change for a property at High Rocks and approved four variances to allow a four‑unit residential building to proceed.
Attorney Charles Rediham, representing the applicant, told the council the proposal required relief from the zoning district's dimensional standards and listed the variances requested: a lot‑area shortfall of about 14,018 square feet (the applicant calculated required area for bedrooms and bedrooms‑per‑unit per the RU district), a frontage and width variance of roughly 49.84 feet each, and a driveway width variance of about 3 feet. "We ask that the petition with the variances be granted," Rediham said during the continuation of the public hearing.
Rediham said the project had been reviewed by the planning department and planning board and that a traffic study commissioned at the planning department's request found no significant traffic impact. The planner also testified that the proposal was consistent with the town's comprehensive plan, which the council cited when the chair confirmed no comprehensive‑plan amendment was required.
During deliberations, a council member acknowledged neighborhood opposition but emphasized private property rights, saying the owner could lawfully pursue other allowed uses if the petition were denied. After discussion, the council voted in favor of the zone change and the four special waivers.
What happens next: The council's decision includes the variances as part of its approval, allowing the applicant to proceed with local permitting steps. The hearing record indicates the planning board had previously recommended approval; the council did not attach additional conditions in the recorded motion.
