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South Kingstown council declines to order public notice on proposed abandonment of small Baker/Green Hill road stub
Summary
The Town Council voted to deny an applicant’s request to order public notice for abandoning a roughly 20-by-100‑ to 150‑foot portion of a paper road near Green Hill/Baker Road, after councilors raised coastal access and public‑asset concerns and questioned staff resource use for valuation and notification.
The South Kingstown Town Council voted to deny an applicant’s request to place a short segment of a paper road on notice for abandonment, a decision that followed a lengthy debate about coastal access and whether the town should cede a small public strip of land to a private owner.
At the meeting, the applicant’s counsel described the segment as “about 20 feet wide and a 100 feet long,” saying it is an artifact of a 1915 plat and “has not been utilized by the public since the 1950s.” The counsel asked the council to advertise the proposed abandonment and said the applicant would present historical and technical evidence at a future public hearing.
Multiple councilors questioned the public benefit of abandoning town land adjacent to coastal areas and whether staff time should be spent evaluating the property’s fair‑market value and impacts on public access. One councilor said the town frequently receives concerns about losing coastal access and noted substantial public opposition when the item became known in the community. Another councilor suggested sending the matter first to staff and the planning board for analysis; a different speaker said the proper next step was to hold a public hearing and then gather any additional staff recommendations.
The applicant acknowledged the council’s concerns but maintained the strip serves no public purpose, characterizing it as privately used driveway access by the adjacent family for decades. After debate the council made and carried a motion to decline the order of notice for a public hearing (voice vote in favor; motion carries). The applicant said they would confer with counsel and return to the council.
What’s next: The applicant said it would prepare additional materials and return; councilors suggested the matter could be referred for tax‑assessor valuation, public services review and planning board comment if a hearing were later scheduled.
Quotes used in this article are drawn directly from the meeting transcript of Jan. 26, 2026.
