Planning Board Regular Meeting- Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, May 20th, 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: Christopher Lawlor, Secretary: Andrew Delisio, Members: Jean Gagnier, Perry Kellogg, James Nicholas, and Alternate: Maurice Devine

Absent: None

Town Staff: Solicitor for Planning and Zoning: Scott Levesque,

Administrative Officer/Town Planner: Nancy Letendre, Minute Taker: Chloe

Chenot, and Information Technology: Lanny Fuller

 

C.    APPROVAL OF MINUTES

1.      April 8^th, 2025 - Mr. Delisio moved a motion to approve the minutes from the April 8^th meeting as presented, and Mr. Lawlor seconded the proposed motion. The board was all in favor, and the minutes passed

2. April 15^th, 2025 - Mr. Delisio moved a motion to approve the minutes from the April 15^th meeting, and Ms. Kellogg seconded the motion. Mr. Lawlor abstained, and the remaining members were all in favor. The minutes passed. Mr. O’Neil then brought to attention since he was absent on April 15^th, that he would have to abstain from the minutes approval. Mr. Delisio then made a new motion to accept, with a quorum, the minutes from the April 15^th meeting. Mr. Gagnier seconded the motion. Mr. O’Neil and Mr. Lawlor abstained, and the remaining members were in favor. The minutes passed.

 

 

D.    CHANGES TO THE AGENDA

 

Town Planner Letendre suggested moving New Business item F-1: Route One Corridor Working Session after Old Business item E-1: 2021-MJLD-03 Combined Preliminary Plan Amendment & Final Plan Review – Major Commercial / Mixed Use Land Development – Cozi LLC.

Mr. Gagnier motioned to move New Business item F-1: Route One Corridor Working Session before Old Business E-1: 2021-MJLD-03 Combined Preliminary Plan Amendment & Final Plan Review – Major Commercial / Mixed Use Land Development – Cozi LLC. Mr. Lawlor seconded the motion. The board discussed. Mr. Gagnier, Mr. Lawlor, and Mr. Devine were in favor of the proposed motion. Mr. Delisio, Ms. Kellogg, Mr. Nicholas, and Mr. O’Neil were against the motion. The motion failed.

Mr. Delisio motioned to move New Business item F-1: Route One Corridor Working Session behind Old Business item E-1: 2021-MJLD-03 Combined Preliminary Plan Amendment & Final Plan Review – Major Commercial / Mixed Use Land Development – Cozi LLC, and before Old Business item E-2: Zoning Ordinance Provisions. Mr. Gagnier seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

 

E.     OLD BUSINESS

 

1.      2021-MJLD-03- Combined Preliminary Plan Amendment & Final Plan Review – Major Commercial / Mixed Use Land Development – Cozi LLC Commercial Development (92-100 Granite Street | Assessor’s Map 67, Lot 275)

 

Attorney William Nardone, 442 Granite Street, Westerly, RI 02891, and Project Engineer Christopher Duhamel of DiPrete Engineering, were present to speak on this project.

Mr. Nardone provided a summary of the revised application, and explained how it reflects discussion from the May 6^th meeting and the conditions of approval outlined in the Administrative Officer’s Memo. Mr. Duhamel then presented the revised site plan, which included changes to stormwater, landscaping, flow rates, impervious surface, and fence lines. The board asked questions, and Mr. Duhamel provided feedback. Questions posed included topics such as fence lines, catch basins and drainage, traffic flows, impervious surface, 100-year storm events, and asphalt, in addition to other topics. Mr. Duhamel, Mr. Nardone, and the Town Planner addressed the inquiries.

Upon no further questions from the board members, Mr. O’Neil opened discussion to the public at 7:01 p.m. No members of the public were present to provide comments. Mr. Gagnier then motioned to close public hearing, and Mr. Delisio seconded the motion. The board was all in favor, and the hearing was closed at 7:01 p.m.

The board was polled to discuss approval of the project and suggested additional conditions, such as reducing parking spaces and impervious surface, adding more vegetated areas, and adjusting elevation of the stormwater forebay. Mr. Levesque entered the May 14^th, 2025, Administrative Officer’s Memo into the record, identified as Board’s Exhibit 1. Mr. Delisio then motioned that the Planning Board approve the project with conditions, referring to the draft motion from the Administrative Officer’s Memo. Mr. Nicholas seconded the proposed motion. All board members were in favor, the motion passed unanimously.

 

F.     NEW BUSINESS –

 

1.      Route One Corridor Working Session – Architectural Review Board (ARB)

 

Paul Azzinaro, Chair of the Architectural Review Board, called the ARB regular meeting to order at 7:30 p.m., and introduced those present. Members in attendance included: Chair Paul Azzinaro, Vice Chair Nancy Richmond, Secretary Katherine Boll, and Members: Marco Tomassini, James O ’Frink, David C. Hannon (Auxiliary) and Sarah Goff Cooper (Auxiliary). There were no minutes to approve or Old Business to discuss.

Ms. Richmond motioned to open the public hearing of Item E.1 – Route One Corridor Working Session – Planning Board. All board members were in favor, and the hearing was opened at 7:32 p.m. Planning Fellow Diego Martin provided a presentation titled: Route 1 Corridor Plan Design Standards, which provided an overview and detailed analysis of the timeline, process, and insights of the Route One Corridor project. The board reviewed the presentation, and discussion ensued. Topics discussed in response to the presentation included: scale and potential improvements, re-zoning, property owners, business incentives, economics, re-use, signage, frontage, and project funding, in addition to other topics.

Items which received informal support from Planning Board, ARB and Town Council members in attendance included:

·         An immediate need to focus on zoning changes as they relate to Route 1 starting with mixed-use development.

·         The need to encourage or incentivize property owners to improve both function and aesthetics of Route 1 – “give them the means and their benefits will come.”

·         A need to adjust transect division lines to better align with existing infrastructure and street characteristics – specifically move eastern line for Transect 2 to “former Wendy’s site” placing adjacent residential area in “Neighborhood Edge”.

·         A suggestion to look further into existing New England based commercial corridors for forms of mixed-use development.

·         A request to further investigate opportunities with signage and lot frontage redevelopment

Members of the public were present to speak on this matter. Town Councilor Dylan LaPietra expressed his belief that the transect lines should be re-examined, to meet the cutoff of the current sewer district. Town Councilor Rose VanDover inquired about the individuals who were surveyed for the Design Standards questionnaire, the Green Initiative, and business owner involvement in the project. Ms. Letendre and Mr. Martin addressed the public comment.

Upon no further comment, Mr. Tomassini motioned to adjourn the Architectural Review Board meeting at 9:16 p.m. The board was all in favor, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:16 p.m.

 

Mr. O’Neil called a recess at 9:16 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 9:23 p.m.

 

E.     OLD BUSINESS

 

2. Zoning Ordinance Provisions

 

Ms. Letendre led discussion as the board continued to review the revised Zoning Ordinance provisions. The Town Planner explained that the Development Plan Review process and RI General Law changes have a significant impact on the Zoning provisions presented. Members discussed further, and Mr. Levesque provided legal counsel on specific amendment verbiage. The board discussed: the comprehensive plan and its intent, comparison of original provisions to the revised, and a potential technical review committee, among other topics.

 

G.    ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S REPORT

 

1.      Future Agenda & Monthly Report Matrix

 

Mr. Gagnier reminded the board of the Capital Projects discussion taking place next month. Ms. Letendre shared that project priorities will soon be discussed at an upcoming meeting, as June is the end of the fiscal and reporting year for the board.

 

2.      Agenda Referral – Discussion on EV Storage

 

This item will be discussed in depth at the next meeting. Mr. Gagnier suggested the board draft a letter to the Council, similar to the Jacob’s letter, to express their concerns on this topic. It was decided that the Administrative Officer would assist Mr. Gagnier in drafting the letter.

 

H.    ASSISTANT SOLICITOR FOR PLANNING AND ZONING’S REPORT There was no discussion

 

I.       FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS AND BOARD QUESTIONS – There were no additional items suggested

 

J.      CONFIRMATION OF QUORUM FOR NEXT MEETINGS

 

1.      June 10^th, 2025, Special Meeting at 6:00 p.m. –Mr. Devine and Mr. Levesque are unable to attend. All other members will be present.

 

K.     ADJOURNMENT- Mr. Gagnier motioned to adjourn the meeting at 10:32 p.m., and Mr. Nicholas seconded the motion. The board was all in favor, and the meeting adjourned at 10:32 p.m .

 

 

Next Regularly Scheduled Meeting- June 17^th, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.

 

 

SUBMITTED BY CHLOE CHENOT ON 6/11/2025.

  APPROVED BY VOTE OF THE BOARD ON 7/15/2025.