Guess which state made the list?
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/report_detail.aspx?id=56044
http://downloads.pewcenteronthestates.org/Beyond_California_Appendix.pdf
http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewcenteronthestatesorg/rhodeIsland.pdf?n=3587
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Giant development proposed in Cov.
Article from KC Times about the proposed "Sherwood Village"
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Giant development proposed in Cov.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
HANNAH PIECUCH
COVENTRY — The biggest development since the Centre of New England has been proposed for Coventry.
An 192-unit, eight-building, three-story apartment complex with the working name of “Sherwood Valley” has been proposed for New London Turnpike at Tiffany Lane, just northeast of the intersection of Arnold Road.
The Cardi Corporation presented their master plan to the Coventry Planning Commission at a special meeting exclusively for this development on Thursday night, according to Chairman Russell Crossman. Former Chairman Cynthia Fagan and Crossman switched positions this week, making Fagan vice-chair.
Cardi brought nearly ten experts with them to present the development, Planning and Zoning Officer Jacob Peabody said. They had a planner, landscape architects, their architect, a wetlands biologist, an environmental scientist, a civil engineer, a real estate expert and a traffic engineer.
The only reason that Cardi was able to propose something like this is because they have a comprehensive permit with at least 25 percent affordable housing, Peabody said. Of the 192 units, 48 units are going to be low to moderate income. This project first came before the commission at a pre-application meeting about two years ago, he added.
The commission took no action on the request for master plan approval on Thursday, Crossman said, because they didn’t even get through all the elements of the meeting. The introduction of the plan took over two hours and because of the large number of residents who attended, Crossman waived usual sections of the meeting where the commission asks their questions. Residents spoke about the development for more than an hour, he said, and it was nearly 11 p.m. when the meeting closed, with the discussion continued to next month.
“We felt it was more important to allow the public to speak than to speak ourselves,” Crossman said.
Although many of the residents expressed concern and resistance to the development, Crossman reserves his opinion until he has had more time to review the proposal, he said. “I haven’t prepared my questions [for Cardi] yet and I want to digest everything. That was a lot of information just from the experts. Plus we received documents from the residents, some were hand written, others were e-mails, on top of the oral testimonies that were given.”
Next to the Centre of New England, this is probably the largest development that Coventry has seen in the last few years, Crossman said. “And I’m hoping it’s the largest thing we see for the next ten.”
Representing his district, Councilman Glenford Shibley attended the meeting to speak against the proposed development, he said.
“They’re trying to circumvent almost a dozen of our Coventry zoning ordinances under the premise of providing 48 low to moderate income housing units,” he said. “This is only on 12.4 acres of land. They’re using 50 percent of the land for the buildings; you might liken it packing them in like sardines.”
In Shibley’s opinion, the proposal doesn’t fit in with the neighborhood, and when school-aged children are taken into account and many of the other waivers Cardi seeks are added up, it could be a large loss for the town.
There are some places in town where housing units of this magnitude would be welcome, Shibley said, and that would be in one of the blighted areas in need of revitalization. “We have Anthony Mill where we would just love to have 48 low to moderate income units. We already have it. It’s already built. It’s already a few stories high. Why build something new?”
State Representative Patricia Serpa (D-27 Warwick, West Warwick, Coventry) also attended the meeting to represent her constituents, she said.
“While everyone understands the need for affordable housing, given every municipality’s current state of fiscal affairs, we’re hoping the commission considers the impact [of a development this large] on schools, services like trash pick up and traffic.”
New London Turnpike is busy as it is, Serpa said. “One will expect at least 192 additional cars traveling new London turnpike and there are very many practical concerns.”
Revitalizing a blighted area is an alternative that Serpa also encouraged Cardi to look into, she said.
In a prepared speech, Tiffany Lane resident Susan Falcone asked the planning commission to consider denying the application, based on a legal precedent.
In spite of the large number of affordable housing units, the planning commission does have the right to reject this application, Falcone said, drawing from a Rhode Island Supreme Court Case, The Housing Opportunities Corporation et al v. Zoning Board of Review of the Town of Johnston.
In that case, which Falcone believes is very similar to this situation, the state Supreme Court upheld Johnston’s decision to reject an application to build a low to moderate income housing facility that was three stories high and did not blend with the surrounding neighborhood.
“The main thing I got out of [the case] that related to us is that the judge ruled that the multi-unit apartment proposed in Johnston would have ‘deleterious effects on the character of the surrounding area’ and that it ‘wasn’t consistent with the local needs,’ which they said were a better site and building design,” she said.
Looking at the proposal submitted by Cardi, Falcone thinks “that this development, with 40-foot tall buildings, would just not fit in the single family area on half-acre lots in that part of town. The density of the dwellings is way over the limit of density for acre in that area,” she said.
Her other concern relates to wetlands near the site, Falcone added. “There is a stream in the back of this property that is a feeder to Tiogue Lake and that goes to the Pawtuxet River. Flat Top Pond is also nearby.” Area residents have also expressed concerns about drainage, if this project goes in, she said.
As an alternative, Falcone suggested that the developer take a tax deduction and donate half of the property to the town of Coventry for open space, she said. “There is no open space, or passive recreation in our area of town and this donation would definitely improve the character and morale of our neighborhood. There could be walking trails and benches, perhaps even fitness stations, as I have seen on similar property in Lincoln abutting the Twin River Reservoir.”
Also from the neighborhood, Wayne Asselin, who lives on Lorraine Avenue near Hopkins Hill Road, echoedconcerns about the zoning in the general area. “That area is zoned for single-family homes,” he said. “The proposal is for something other than that and something that to me is out of scope for the neighborhood. It will dwarf the homes nearby. That’s my concern.”
He hopes that the planning commission will hear out everyone who comes to speak on the matter as the process continues, Asselin said, “and ask their own questions and make a decision that’s in the best interest of the town.”
The meeting has been continued to Wednesday, Feb. 10, Crossman said, and at that time the planning commission will ask their questions and there will be more time for public comment.
Stephen Cardi Jr. of the Cardi Corporation did not return calls to comment.
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Giant development proposed in Cov.
Sunday, 31 January 2010
HANNAH PIECUCH
COVENTRY — The biggest development since the Centre of New England has been proposed for Coventry.
An 192-unit, eight-building, three-story apartment complex with the working name of “Sherwood Valley” has been proposed for New London Turnpike at Tiffany Lane, just northeast of the intersection of Arnold Road.
The Cardi Corporation presented their master plan to the Coventry Planning Commission at a special meeting exclusively for this development on Thursday night, according to Chairman Russell Crossman. Former Chairman Cynthia Fagan and Crossman switched positions this week, making Fagan vice-chair.
Cardi brought nearly ten experts with them to present the development, Planning and Zoning Officer Jacob Peabody said. They had a planner, landscape architects, their architect, a wetlands biologist, an environmental scientist, a civil engineer, a real estate expert and a traffic engineer.
The only reason that Cardi was able to propose something like this is because they have a comprehensive permit with at least 25 percent affordable housing, Peabody said. Of the 192 units, 48 units are going to be low to moderate income. This project first came before the commission at a pre-application meeting about two years ago, he added.
The commission took no action on the request for master plan approval on Thursday, Crossman said, because they didn’t even get through all the elements of the meeting. The introduction of the plan took over two hours and because of the large number of residents who attended, Crossman waived usual sections of the meeting where the commission asks their questions. Residents spoke about the development for more than an hour, he said, and it was nearly 11 p.m. when the meeting closed, with the discussion continued to next month.
“We felt it was more important to allow the public to speak than to speak ourselves,” Crossman said.
Although many of the residents expressed concern and resistance to the development, Crossman reserves his opinion until he has had more time to review the proposal, he said. “I haven’t prepared my questions [for Cardi] yet and I want to digest everything. That was a lot of information just from the experts. Plus we received documents from the residents, some were hand written, others were e-mails, on top of the oral testimonies that were given.”
Next to the Centre of New England, this is probably the largest development that Coventry has seen in the last few years, Crossman said. “And I’m hoping it’s the largest thing we see for the next ten.”
Representing his district, Councilman Glenford Shibley attended the meeting to speak against the proposed development, he said.
“They’re trying to circumvent almost a dozen of our Coventry zoning ordinances under the premise of providing 48 low to moderate income housing units,” he said. “This is only on 12.4 acres of land. They’re using 50 percent of the land for the buildings; you might liken it packing them in like sardines.”
In Shibley’s opinion, the proposal doesn’t fit in with the neighborhood, and when school-aged children are taken into account and many of the other waivers Cardi seeks are added up, it could be a large loss for the town.
There are some places in town where housing units of this magnitude would be welcome, Shibley said, and that would be in one of the blighted areas in need of revitalization. “We have Anthony Mill where we would just love to have 48 low to moderate income units. We already have it. It’s already built. It’s already a few stories high. Why build something new?”
State Representative Patricia Serpa (D-27 Warwick, West Warwick, Coventry) also attended the meeting to represent her constituents, she said.
“While everyone understands the need for affordable housing, given every municipality’s current state of fiscal affairs, we’re hoping the commission considers the impact [of a development this large] on schools, services like trash pick up and traffic.”
New London Turnpike is busy as it is, Serpa said. “One will expect at least 192 additional cars traveling new London turnpike and there are very many practical concerns.”
Revitalizing a blighted area is an alternative that Serpa also encouraged Cardi to look into, she said.
In a prepared speech, Tiffany Lane resident Susan Falcone asked the planning commission to consider denying the application, based on a legal precedent.
In spite of the large number of affordable housing units, the planning commission does have the right to reject this application, Falcone said, drawing from a Rhode Island Supreme Court Case, The Housing Opportunities Corporation et al v. Zoning Board of Review of the Town of Johnston.
In that case, which Falcone believes is very similar to this situation, the state Supreme Court upheld Johnston’s decision to reject an application to build a low to moderate income housing facility that was three stories high and did not blend with the surrounding neighborhood.
“The main thing I got out of [the case] that related to us is that the judge ruled that the multi-unit apartment proposed in Johnston would have ‘deleterious effects on the character of the surrounding area’ and that it ‘wasn’t consistent with the local needs,’ which they said were a better site and building design,” she said.
Looking at the proposal submitted by Cardi, Falcone thinks “that this development, with 40-foot tall buildings, would just not fit in the single family area on half-acre lots in that part of town. The density of the dwellings is way over the limit of density for acre in that area,” she said.
Her other concern relates to wetlands near the site, Falcone added. “There is a stream in the back of this property that is a feeder to Tiogue Lake and that goes to the Pawtuxet River. Flat Top Pond is also nearby.” Area residents have also expressed concerns about drainage, if this project goes in, she said.
As an alternative, Falcone suggested that the developer take a tax deduction and donate half of the property to the town of Coventry for open space, she said. “There is no open space, or passive recreation in our area of town and this donation would definitely improve the character and morale of our neighborhood. There could be walking trails and benches, perhaps even fitness stations, as I have seen on similar property in Lincoln abutting the Twin River Reservoir.”
Also from the neighborhood, Wayne Asselin, who lives on Lorraine Avenue near Hopkins Hill Road, echoed
He hopes that the planning commission will hear out everyone who comes to speak on the matter as the process continues, Asselin said, “and ask their own questions and make a decision that’s in the best interest of the town.”
The meeting has been continued to Wednesday, Feb. 10, Crossman said, and at that time the planning commission will ask their questions and there will be more time for public comment.
Stephen Cardi Jr. of the Cardi Corporation did not return calls to comment.
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