Council approves will-serve letter for Coventry Center's commercial phase after fixing developer letter

The Coventry Town Council voted to issue a "will-serve" letter for the commercial phase of Coventry Center while clarifying the developer's accompanying paperwork to remove a reference to a residential lot.

Town staff and the developer's representative said the residential portion remains on hold pending a capacity study by West Warwick. Joel Levesque and town engineers said the commercial flow is about 7,000 gallons per day and can be served administratively, but council members flagged a discrepancy in packet materials that referenced Lot 23 and Lot 24 and urged precision in the written letter to avoid future confusion.

Council members debated whether to table the item for more oversight or approve it with administrative corrections. After discussion and a motion to approve conditioned on correcting the developer letter to match the resolution (which lists Lot 23 as the commercial parcel), the council approved the resolution; the motion carried 3-1.

Why it matters: Council members said accurate lot descriptions and administrative paperwork are necessary to avoid unintended commitments and to maintain oversight over developer agreements. The council asked staff to ensure the executed will-serve letter mirrors the resolution language before signing.

Next steps: Town staff will revise the letter to remove the residential lot language and proceed with issuing a will-serve letter for the verified commercial parcel; any residential service or fee decisions remain subject to future approvals and, in the case of residential capacity, West Warwick's pending study.