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Planning Board Regular Meeting - Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, December 16th, 2025, 6:00 p.m.
Westerly Town Hall | Town Council Chambers
45 Broad Street, Westerly, RI 02891
A. CALL TO ORDER - Mr. O’Neil called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 
B. ROLL CALL AND ATTENDANCE – Mr. O’Neil recognized all board members and staff present
Present: Chairman: Matthew O’Neil, Vice Chairman: Jean Gagnier,
Secretary: Derek Lombard, Members: Christopher Lawlor, Perry Kellogg, Maurice Devine, and James Nicholas
Absent: None
Town Staff: Administrative Officer/Town Planner: Nancy Letendre, Principal Planner: Aidan Adams, Minute Taker: Chloe Chenot, Information Technology: Lanny Fuller, and Solicitor for Planning and Zoning: Scott Levesque
C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES –
1) November 4th, 2025 - The board reviewed the minutes from the November 4th meeting. Mr. Nicholas motioned to approve the minutes, and Mr. Lawlor seconded the proposed motion. Mr. Lawlor, Mr. Nicholas, Mr. Gagnier, Mr. Lombard, Mr. O’Neil, and Ms. Kellogg were in favor. The minutes passed 6-0
2) November 18th, 2025 - The board reviewed the minutes from the November 18th meeting. Mr. Nicholas motioned to approve the minutes as submitted, and Mr. Lombard seconded the proposed motion. Mr. Nicholas, Mr. Gagnier, Mr. O’Neil, Mr. Lombard, Ms. Kellogg were in favor. Mr. Lawlor abstained. The minutes passed, with one abstention
D. CHANGES TO THE AGENDA – There were no changes
E. OLD BUSINESS –
Attorney William Nardone was present to speak on this application. Mr. Nardone summarized the project, and highlighted revisions made to the application since the December 2nd meeting. Mr. Nardone also shared that Rebecca Nolan, landscape architect of the project, was present to provide additional comment. Questions posed by board members of the revised application materials included topics such as: Fire Chief approval, emergency vehicle access, driveways, the monitoring agent agreement, and stormwater. No members of the public were present to comment on this matter
Upon no further questions, Mr. Gagnier motioned to close the public hearing of this item at 6:12 p.m., and Mr. Nicholas seconded the motion. The board was all in favor, and the public hearing was closed. The board then discussed the application, and reviewed the Administrative Officer’s Memo, dated December 8th, for a meeting on December 16th, 2025. Mr. Gagnier suggested that pavers be added as a condition of approval, and suggested changes to the memorandum. Amendments proposed by Mr. Gagnier included: the removal of “In May of 2023” at the bottom of page two, adding a space between “of10%” under item two of page three, and adding “confirmation of capacity” under Section E of page four, to further specify public water and sewer availability. Mr. O’Neil suggested the phrase: “permission to connect from the agency,” to confirm available utilities. Board members discussed further. Mr. Devine inquired about the property’s proposed driveway, as he expressed it did not meet the 20-foot-width requirement where it meets the roadway. The applicant agreed to make modifications to the retaining wall, to address Mr. Devine’s concern. The board was then polled at 6:26 p.m. and did not need any additional information.
Mr. Levesque marked the Administrative Officer’s Memorandum as Boards Exhibit 1, and informed members that it could be adopted with the conditions as modified. Mr. Nicholas moved to accept the memorandum, and Mr. Lawlor seconded the proposed motion. Mr. Gagnier clarified that the memorandum would be adopted with the conditions as revised this evening. The board was all in favor, and the motion passed unanimously
2) Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
The board reviewed the Administrative Officer’s Memorandum. Mr. Gagnier suggested verbiage changes to Action SF-1.2. B on page 11, and pedestrian walkability and security measures on page two. Mr. Nicholas inquired about the order of importance of the various sections in the memorandum, and asked for clarification of the recommended items sent to the Town Manager. It was suggested during discussion that the items listed in the memo be organized by the board’s priority, and that recreational facilities are included last. Ms. Letendre shared that the memo would be amended based on the proposed changes and returned for members to review before it is signed and submitted
Mr. O’Neil thanked Ms. Letendre for her time as the Town Planner/Administrative Officer, as she shared earlier in the meeting that she would be transitioning to a new opportunity outside of the Town of Westerly
Mr. O’Neil was excused from the meeting at 6: 41 p.m. Mr. Gagnier acting as Chairman
3) Phase 1 Zoning Ordinance Revisions
Ms. Letendre presented this item and began by summarizing discussion of the ordinance revisions from the December 2nd meeting. Board members reviewed the revised document and provided feedback to the Town Planner. Questions posed and topics of discussion of Articles I-III, VI, VIII, IX, and XI included: off-street parking, zoning ordinances, process changes to land development projects, the urban services boundary, standards for development review, sewer capacity, online application portal, subdivision land regulations, and unified development review. Mr. Levesque provided legal counsel on topics discussed. To further clarify the definition and uses of Rear Lots, as outlined in Line 207, § 260-47, Ms. Letendre gave a presentation titled: Rear Lot Development: A modest step towards increase in density. Board members asked questions about density, the history of rear-frontage, the potential effects on neighboring properties, current zoning regulations, short term rentals, Accessory Dwelling Units, affordable housing, and potential areas of development. After thorough discussion, board members expressed that more data was necessary, and Rear Lots was suggested as a future agenda item. Ms. Letendre stated that another batch of Zoning Ordinance provisions for the board’s review would include housing
Rose VanDover, 20 Top Street, Westerly, RI 02891, inquired about the driveway entrance width requirement, potential HDR-6 residential zone uses, and easement dimensions. Ms. VanDover also expressed concern for neighboring properties, since rear lot use could cause crowding. Christopher Duhamel, 17 Elm Street, Westerly, RI 02891, expressed that he believed rear lot development was a great way to eliminate costs to the home builder and create value for lot owners. Mr. Duhamel also agreed that a buffer between neighboring properties was necessary. No other members of the public were present to provide comment on this matter. Principal Planner Adams shared that he would coordinate with Planner Specialist Diego Martin, to find examples of potential uses in Westerly, and provide more visuals and written data for the board to examine
Mr. Gagnier called a recess at 7:57 p.m. The board reconvened at 8:03 p.m.
Mr. O’Neil returned to the meeting at 8:04 p.m., and resumed as Chairman
Upon returning from recess, discussion of the Zoning Ordinance revisions was continued. Amended sections of Article VII included changes to: inclusionary zoning, Low-and Moderate-Income housing obligations, the comprehensive permit, municipal subsidy program, certification of completeness, administrative final approval requirements, adaptive reuse, and accessory dwelling units. The Town Planner shared that all provisions were modified to better adhere to State Law changes and the Town Ordinance. Board members inquired about final plan approval, and Auxiliary Dwelling Units. Ms. Letendre and Mr. Levesque addressed the inquiries. After thorough review, the board decided to remove rear-lot development from the document. Upon no further questions or comment, Mr. Nichoals moved a motion to pass the zoning text amendments to the Town Council, and Mr. Lawlor seconded the proposed motion. Mr. Lawlor, Mr. Nicholas, Mr. Gagnier, Mr. O’Neil, Mr. Lombard, and Ms. Kellogg were in favor. Mr. Devine was against the motion. The motion passed 6-1
F. NEW BUSINESS – There was no discussion
G. ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S REPORT –
1) Future Agenda & Monthly Report Matrix
Mr. O’Neil reminded members that a revised Capital Improvement Program memorandum would be shared with each member before submission to the Town Manager. Mr. Gagnier inquired about the total number of affordable housing units approved for construction, and asked if that data could be added to the Future Agenda & Monthly Report Matrix
2) Main Street Resilient Riverfront Renewal – Status Update
Ms. Letendre shared that she met with the Environmental Protection Agency, and
they extended their assistance on the project. The Town Planner also shared that Gina
Fuller, District Manager for the Southern Rhode Island Conservation District, will come
before the board to provide an update at an upcoming meeting
H. ASSISTANT SOLICITOR FOR PLANNING AND ZONING’S REPORT – There was no discussion
I. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS & BOARD QUESTIONS –
It was suggested by the board during discussion of Item E-3: Phase 1 Zoning Ordinance Revisions that rear-lot development be added as a future agenda item. Board members requested to look further into the number of potential properties that could be impacted, how it would affect setbacks, and the history of the original ordinance
J. CONFIRMATION OF QUORUM FOR NEXT MEETINGS
1. January 20th, 2026, Regular Meeting at 6:00 p.m. – Mr. Devine and Mr. Nicholas’ attendance is tentative, all other board members will be present
K. ADJOURNMENT – Mr. Gagnier motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:41 p.m. and Mr. Nicholas seconded the motion. The board was all in favor, and the meeting adjourned at 8:41 p.m.
Next Regularly Scheduled Meeting- January 20th, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
Submitted by Chloe Chenot on 1/9/2026
APPROVED BY BOARD VOTE ON 2/17/2026