By JOHN HOWELL Instead of gassing up with 87 octane, motorists on Greenwich Avenue will be able to fuel up with Starbucks Coffee if the City Council approves Monday a rezoning for a parcel of land across from the Stop & Shop plaza on Greenwich Avenue.
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Instead of gassing up with 87 octane, motorists on Greenwich Avenue will be able to fuel up with Starbucks Coffee if the City Council approves Monday a rezoning for a parcel of land across from the Stop & Shop plaza on Greenwich Avenue.
Kelly Coates, president of Carpionato Group, that owns the land and will be doing the development, said Wednesday he views the Starbucks and Centreville Bank branch to be built as an “extension” of the Stop & Shop Plaza.
“There will be two small buildings,” Coates said. “It will be a great addition to the neighborhood.”
The property, the site of a restaurant for decades, has gone unused for at least 10 years. Coates said that Carpionato had plans to build a Stop & Shop service station on the land.
It was granted a special use permit by the Zoning Board of Review on Feb. 5, 2013.
“It was 100 percent permitted for a gas station, but I think this is a much better use,” he said.
Coates estimated each of the buildings at about 2,000 square feet. Access would be at the traffic signal for the Stop & Shop plaza. He placed development costs at $4 million.
The site is currently zoned for General Business and Residential A-7. Carpionato is seeking a zone change to General Business with waivers including, among other things, less than required front and corner side parking setbacks, required landscape buffer along frontage, parking spaces and width of loading space.
The Planning Board, which met May 8, granted Master Plan Approval of the major land development finding it was “generally consistent with the Comprehensive Community Plan.
The board further found “the project will not result in a significant negative environmental impact provided that it complies with the most current version of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management’s Stormwater Design and Installation Manual and is designed to demonstrate zero net runoff from the proposed development.”
The board also recommended that Carpionato work with affected neighbors to install fencing and landscaping to screen the residential uses.
Carpionato would also be called on to submit a traffic study and to “determine if there is an existing problem with cut-through traffic from Metro Center to Route 5.” If the study determines there is a problem with cut-through traffic, Carpionato is then to propose mitigation measures.
The public hearing for the project starts at 7 p.m. Monday night, or at whatever time committee meetings for the council conclude should they run past 7 p.m.
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Justanidiot
eyes luv when day ask fer a traffic study. tons of moneys gets spent to tell them what drivers could tell dem fer free
Friday, July 12, 2019 Report this
Scal1024
This is something I wish we'd see more of. Taking neglected, rotting properties and building a business in its place. Lord knows there are certainly plenty of properties that are vacant just waiting to be repurposed in Warwick. It creates jobs, could potentially add sales tax revenue and cleans up our City at the same time. I see all of those things as positive. The one factor that I'm sure will be discussed at length is traffic. I can't see traffic getting much worse in the area, one of the worst intersections in the City and if the state hasn't got their act together to change the traffic pattern there yet, I won't hold my breath.
That said, I wonder who owns the corner property where the former Sunoco Gas Station sits? The grass is consistently overgrown, the structure that's standing looks awful and these property owners should be told to clean it up or face fines. I'm not saying we should plug budget holes on the backs of business owners but there should be some accountability from these property owners to clean up their mess! For example, Healy's Seafood off West Shore Rd in Warwick hasn't been a functioning business for atleast 20-25 years. The building itself is rotting and falling apart. If the building is inoperable than it is a public safety issue. If the property is bank owned and just neglected, demand the bank take action and hire someone to clean it up. If there are laws already on the books, enforce them!!! Make the fines mean something and use them to leverage property owners to clean up the mess! The City could even apply some of that $ to their #1 priority school sports.
I have had plenty of neighbors over the years who receive letters from the City telling them they have unregistered cars on the property or a car is missing 1 plate, wood piles that aren't stacked neatly enough, hedges that are too high. If the City can enforce these things on residents, in some cases SENIORS, then they should have no problem at all telling banks, property owners and business owners to clean up their act or pay up! There is no excuse for some of the conditions on these properties. NONE!
Friday, July 12, 2019 Report this
Justanidiot
scal, youse want to talk eyesores, how bouts dat gas station on the corner of post and warwick. it has been empty fer years and runned down. you means to tells me dat youse cants get a bidness to build in one of the bestest spots in da cities. warwicks, your name is failure.
Friday, July 12, 2019 Report this