Council approves five‑year tax stabilization for commercial property; approval contingent on completed work

The Burrillville Town Council approved a five‑year tax stabilization agreement for a commercial property (map/lot 265/005) after hearing from applicant Steven Roderick and staff about ordinance limits and the assessment process.

The petition (24‑268) requested stabilization for work on a commercial building to become Construction Junction LLC headquarters, 3.407 acres of land and 2,000 square feet of paving. Town staff explained that stabilization percentages are applied to the property’s assessed value (not the applicant’s out‑of‑pocket expenditures) and that any stabilization only begins after the building official certifies the work as complete and the tax assessor issues a revised assessed value.

Council members discussed which items in the applicant’s attachments qualify under the ordinance (for example, phase‑2 environmental cleanup was not automatically included) and noted the ordinance’s original purpose to attract new businesses rather than to reimburse renovation costs. Council members recommended sending the ordinance to the ordinance subcommittee in the future to clarify eligibility rules.

A motion by Mr. Battle, seconded by Mr. Houle, approved the stabilization as presented: a five‑year stabilization ratcheted at 20% per year up to the fifth year. The motion carried; the transcript records at least one named dissent (Mr. Rogers). The stabilization is effective only after required work is completed and the assessor applies the new assessed value.

Next steps recorded in the meeting: the applicant must finish the described work, obtain certification from the building official and have the assessor calculate the updated assessed value before the tax stabilization applies.