The Jamestown Planning Commission heard an unsolicited pitch Wednesday from a private developer who asked the town to pause and consider a privately financed alternative to a town-backed housing plan on a village site, before the commission approved two separate residential projects and tabled a zoning change sought for a fire equipment garage in the north end.
The developer's request came during the open public-comment period at the start of the August 5th meeting, according to the Jamestown Planning Commission's published meeting recording. Because the topic was not on the agenda, commissioners took no action and offered no response beyond thanking the speaker.
Developer asks for a public hearing on an alternative village plan
Ellen, president of Ellen Design Build, told the commission she and her husband have built homes in Rhode Island for more than 40 years, have lived in Jamestown about eight years, and recently completed the redevelopment of 78 Narragansett Avenue. She asked the town to hear additional concepts for a village redevelopment site before making a final decision.
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Those figures are the developer's own; the commission did not review any documents for either plan and has no application before it. The chair noted that the town administrator and the town's zoning and planning official were present and had heard the comments, and said the application has not yet reached the commission but is expected soon. Later in the meeting, staff said the Town Council has referred the project to the Planning Commission for review as a comprehensive permit — a state process that lets a developer seek relief from local zoning in exchange for including affordable units. Staff said master-plan approval of the concept would require a public hearing, giving residents a formal chance to review the plan.
Sloop Street house recommended for approval
The commission voted unanimously, 5-0, to recommend that the Zoning Board of Review approve a high groundwater permit, in the form of a special-use permit, for construction of a new single-family home at 9 Sloop Street. The lot is a double lot of 14,400 square feet and is currently vacant.
Attorney Mark Liberati represented the applicants. Patrick Freeman, P.E., of the project's engineering firm was recognized by voice vote as an expert witness and described the plan: a four-bedroom dwelling served by an existing private well, an advanced denitrification wastewater system, a rain garden, and an underground infiltration structure. Testing put the seasonal high water table at 54 inches below original grade and Category 9 soils at 35 inches, placing the site in the overlay district that caps impervious coverage — the paved or built-over share of a lot — at 13%. The proposal covers 10.34%.
Commissioners questioned whether soil tests dating to 2014 remain valid. Freeman said state environmental regulators require an affidavit after five years confirming site conditions have not changed, and that the site has remained wooded. One member asked whether the approval could be conditioned to bar a paved driveway permanently, given townwide interest in limiting impervious surfaces. Counsel advised against a narrow absolute restriction, citing enforceability problems under current case law, and the condition was not added.
Boat barn renovation approved on Green Lane
The commission also voted 5-0 to grant development plan review approval for the renovation of and addition to an existing boat barn at 78 Green Lane, inside the Jamestown Village Special Development District. The property owner's manager, who identified herself as Sally Blount, said the 1,344-square-foot building was built for boat construction, still has a dirt floor, and will become a studio with a bathroom, a small cleanup area, storage, and a sleeping loft for overflow guests.
The approval carries conditions, including that the legal use of the property remain a duplex with the barn as an accessory structure, and that any conversion to an accessory dwelling unit require a new application and further zoning approval. Officials said short-term rental rules do not apply because the barn is not a dwelling unit, and that a future owner could apply to convert it, which would require permits for a full kitchen.
One member pressed for changes to soften the barn's Green Lane face, calling it jarring next to the main house. The architect said the roof will be replaced using the same rafter-tail detail as the cottage, and that divided-light windows were considered but looked contrived on a utilitarian building. Commissioners declined to require a finalized landscape plan, though one member urged more evergreen planting.
Fire garage zoning change tabled
The commission continued to next month a proposed amendment to the zoning use tables that would make it easier to site a fire department storage building in the north end. The town administrator said the goal is a small unstaffed garage for two or three trucks, including tankers for areas without hydrants, not a staffed station with training activity.
Most parcels under consideration north of Route 138 are zoned RR-200, RR-80 or RR-40, and the use table currently bars fire stations in RR-200. Commissioners resisted the broader version first presented, which would have changed several government-use categories across residential zones. One member said that would give the town wide new latitude to place structures in residential neighborhoods and warned about "decades-long creep" toward a staffed facility. Another member argued the change is minor, since a full station is already allowed by special-use permit in denser residential districts.
The town's zoning and planning official said staff will return with a narrower proposal that defines "fire station," "police station" and "fire substation" in the ordinance, with objective standards such as height and size, so a substation cannot quietly grow into something larger. Officials noted an eventual facility near Beavertail has also been discussed. Vice Chair Duncan Pendlebury was among those who suggested creating the substation category. The motion to continue the item passed by voice vote.
Housekeeping
The commission approved minutes from June 3rd and June 24th by voice vote; the chair recused from the June 24th vote, citing an earlier recusal. Officers were reelected by voice vote, with Duncan Pendlebury continuing as vice chair.
What's next
The next Planning Commission meeting is September 2nd, with a second meeting expected September 16th. The revised fire station zoning amendment is due back then and will require a public hearing before it can advance to the Town Council. The village housing concept is expected to come before the commission as a comprehensive permit, with a public hearing if the commission takes up master-plan approval.