MINUTES OF THE CUMBERLAND ZONING BOARD MEETING
HELD AT
THE CUMBERLAND TOWN HALL AND
ALSO VIRTUAL CAPABILITY ON THE ZOOM PLATFORM,
45 BROAD STREET, CUMBERLAND, RHODE ISLAND
ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2024 AT 7:00 P.M.
ZONING BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT WERE THE FOLLOWING
John McCoy, Chaiman
Robert Chaput, Vice‑Chairman
Mike McGrath
Joseph Craveiro
Rachael Guadagni
Chris Alger, 1st Alt.
Diane Emerson, 2nd Alt.
ALSO PRESENT
Peter Skwirz, Esquire, Counsel to the Zoning Board
Dolly Rousseau, Zoning Clerk
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Mr. McCoy called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., and all the Members of the Board listed above were present.
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Mr. McCoy stated the minutes of the October 9, 2024 have been circulated, and he asked for a motion to approve the minutes. Mr. McGrath then made a motion to approve the minutes. The motion was seconded by Mr. Chaput. Mr. McCoy then took a vote on the motion, and THE MOTION WAS APPOVED 5‑0.
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24‑3. William Kitsilis, of 127 Mendon Road, Cumberland, RI 02864, has petitioned this board for a Special Use Permit for Rooftop Solar. Article 18‑1, Section (a) and Use Table Section, (94F). Described as Assessor's Plat 01, Lot(s) 0064, and Designated Zone C‑2. It is located at 127 Mendon Road, Cumberland, RI 02864.
Attorney Scott Partington came forward to represent Mr. Kitsilis on this Request for a Special Use Permit. Mr. McCoy stated that, before Mr. Partington got started, the Board has not done a Special Use Permit under the new rules, and he asked Mr. Skwirz to talk about that a little bit, since it is a little different than the findings the Board had before.
Mr. Skwirz stated that, when the Board considers a Special Use Permit application, they have do it pursuant to objective and specific criteria; and he stated that, as of now, the criteria listed in Section 18‑8 is the only criteria that you have to meet in order to be granted a Special Use Permit.
After further discussion, Mr. Partington presented as a witness Mr. Jackson Burttram.
Mr. Burttram came forward, was sworn, and testified in favor of this Special Use Permit. Mr. Burttram stated that he worked for Infusion, who are the developers for this project.
Mr. Berttram stated that he has a list of all the stickers that they plan on putting on all the equipment, metering, disconnect, the AC combiner panel, and it is all according to State code and is something they do for all of their projects.
Mr. Berttram stated that for the solar permit he submitted a single line diagram which shows that they do, in fact, have a 200 amp. fuse disconnect for this project, along with a combiner panel for both inverters. He stated there is only going to be two inverters, and they are pretty small; and they will just go inside the building.
Mr. Berttram stated, as for the system on the roof, this will be a ballasted system, so there will be no roof attachments, and it will simply be just weighted down by ballast blocks. He further stated they had a structural engineer go out and do an analysis, and he had the calculations that show that this roof can support this system.
Mr. Berttram stated, as for the panels themselves and how they would look from the road, he did not have a rendering, but he had pictures of similar projects that they have done. He stated they just finished one at the end of last year in Boston that would be comparable to this system size, and he has some pictures of what that looks like, and he could submit those to the Board at some point.
Mr. Berttram stated that these are 72‑cell panels, and the brand is Canadian solar. He stated he was not sure where they were manufactured, but they use these panels quite often for a lot of the projects in Rhode Island.
After Mr. Berttram's testimony concluded, no one else came forward to speak on this Special Use Permit.
After hearing, Mr. McCoy stated that, when making the motion, it would be subject to complying with the requirements set forth in 18‑8(d), which is the only real specific requirement we have for a Special Use Permit now. Mr. Chaput stated that, apparently, it does meet those requirements; and he then made a motion to grant the Special Use Permit for the installation of the medium‑scale roof‑mounted solar array at the Applicant's location.
Mr. Chaput stated it is allowable under the ordinance under Use Code 91F, and it meets all the special criteria that has been discussed that are shown in the record.
Mr. Chaput stated it is not going to alter the general characteristic of the land; and it is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan, as the Board has seen in the memo from the Planning Board.
Mr. Chaput stated it will not impair the general characteristic of the surrounding area; and, therefore, he recommended that the Board grant the Special Use Permit. Mr. McGrath then seconded the motion. Mr. McCoy then took a vote on the motion. Mr. McGrath, Mr. Craveiro, Ms. Guadagni, Mr. Chaput and Mr. McCoy all voted in favor of the motion. THE MOTION WAS APPOVED 5‑0.
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Mr. McCoy stated the Board did not have any other business tonight and asked for a motion to adjourn. Mr. McGrath then made a motion to adjourn. Mr. McCoy then asked for all those in favor, AND THE MOTION TO ADJOURN PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.
(THE MEETING ADJOURNED AT 7:20 P.M.)
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Respectfully submitted,
Andrew J. D'Angelo
ANDREW J. D'ANGELO,
Court Reporter
(Signed Electronically)
I hereby certify the foregoing minutes to be a true and accurate interpretation, to the best of my ability, of my stenographic notes taken at the Cumberland Zoning Board Meeting on November 13, 2024.
Andrew J. D'Angelo
ANDREW J. D'ANGELO,
Court Reporter
(Signed Electronically)