Coventry planning panel hears hours of testimony on 176‑unit Village at Tioga; waivers approved and hearing continued to Dec. 18

The Coventry Planning Commission spent nearly four hours on Dec. 4 hearing technical presentations and public testimony about the Village at Tioga, a proposed 176‑unit development on roughly 27 acres that would set aside at least 25% of units as deed‑restricted affordable housing.

The applicant, represented by Joelle Rocha, told the commission the submission is an early‑stage preliminary plan for a mixed housing community that includes 58 rental townhouse units, 57 condominium‑style cottages and 61 detached single‑family units. Rocha said the team had requested four submission waivers and asked the board for feedback rather than an immediate vote: “This is the first, public hearing on this project,” she said, noting peer review and staff comments remain outstanding.

Civil engineer Leonard Bradley of Depreed Engineering walked commissioners through the site plans and the three‑section layout. He described drainage and utilities design, said the project conforms to Rhode Island stormwater standards and that stormwater would be routed through multiple water‑quality basins and infiltration features before discharging toward an off‑site wetland connected to Tioga Lake. Bradley said tests show seasonal high groundwater is below the proposed infiltration units and that the stormwater design reduces both peak flow and volume in local problem areas.

“We have a drainage basin that we’re proposing at the southwest corner of the property … and we’ve designed the basins in accordance with the state of Rhode Island stormwater manual,” Bradley said, later adding that he expects a Department of Environmental Management permit after the team addressed DEM comments.

Traffic consultant Paul Bannon of Crossman Engineering described a trip‑generation analysis for the 176 units and said the development’s traffic — estimated at about 108 morning peak and 138 afternoon peak trips across three access points — would be distributed across Tioga Avenue, East Shore/Old North and New London Turnpike/Tiffany Road. Bannon recommended upgrades on Tiffany Road and sidewalk connections in parts of the development; town peer reviewer John Chevlin (Park Corporation) said he found Crossman’s data and analyses generally acceptable and supported connecting Areas 2 and 3 for emergency access.

Public commenters — more than two dozen residents, several Lake Tioga homeowners and the Lake Association president — raised concerns about existing neighborhood flooding, potential impacts to lake water quality, narrow local roads and whether homeowners associations would reliably maintain complex drainage systems over time. Many spoke of recent high bacteria and cyanobacteria readings in Tioga Lake and asked whether routine discharges, landscaping runoff and additional impervious surfaces could worsen the lake’s condition.

Kristen Barron, a resident of East Shore Drive, said recurring drainage problems and school‑dropoff congestion make adding 176 units and new cut‑through traffic unacceptable for nearby streets. “The idea that we’re connecting another neighborhood … to flow traffic could be two, three, four cars per unit into a neighborhood with many young children who are out playing in the neighborhood … is really concerning,” she said.

Several speakers asked for fuller detail or for the application to be denied; others, including a local developer who spoke, said housing stock needs renewal but urged stricter limits on density and clearer commitments on buffers, tree protection and maintenance responsibilities.

Procedural votes and next steps

After public comment and staff discussion, the commission considered four submission waivers the applicant requested: (1) permanent bounds/corner markers, (2) proposed improvements (streets, lot lines, setback lines, curb cuts, lot areas/dimensions), (3) open space plan (defer to final with a conceptual plan required at preliminary), and (4) identification of trees over 50 years old. The commission voted to grant all four waivers as submission waivers, with the condition that detailed information be provided before any final vote on a preliminary plan. Staff and counsel noted that certifying the application complete starts statutory review timelines.

The commission also voted to invite the Conservation Commission to provide an advisory opinion on environmental matters; staff said the Conservation Commission will meet Dec. 11 and can return comments in time for the next planning commission session. The public hearing and the application were continued to Dec. 18, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. in the same building to allow TRC (technical review committee) follow‑up, conservation input and written responses from the applicant.

What remains unresolved

Key outstanding items include the DEM wetlands permit, final sewer routing and documentation of downstream capacity, a conceptual open‑space plan and explicit maintenance and financing language for long‑term drainage upkeep (operations & maintenance plan and HOA covenants). Residents also urged more robust assurances about buffers to Tioga Lake and clearer, enforceable commitments about landscaping, salt management and year‑to‑year inspection and vacuuming of basins.

The commission’s next meeting on the application is scheduled for Dec. 18; the Conservation Commission is expected to provide an advisory opinion on Dec. 11. The public hearing remains open and additional written and oral comments will be accepted and considered.