Self Storage On January 27 Planning Commission Agenda

On Wednesday, January 27, at 7 p.m. at a virtual meeting, the Charlestown Planning Commission will open a public informational meeting on the Master Plan application of Storage Place LLC to build a self-storage complex on property just north of Rt. 1 at the site of the Mini Golf (pictured in the banner image above), Lot 102, Map 14, 5677 Post Rd. To attend the virtual meeting, follow this link at 7 p.m. on January 27.

The Planning Commission packet contains over 200 pages of materials for this application. This post can only summarize a few of the topics that will be presented at the meeting. For more detail, you should review the full 231 page meeting packet available at the Town’s website. These materials are provided by the applicant and this post is not meant to promote or refute those materials, but merely to share some of what will be presented at the meeting.

The property is located in a C3 (Highway Commercial) zone, and a self-storage facility is an allowed use in the zone. The property is also in the groundwater protection district.

The Planning Commission held two pre-application meetings with the applicant on September 23rd and October 28, 2020 where members shared their concerns and questions about visual impacts on Rt. 1, a State designated Scenic Highway, and groundwater impacts among other concerns.

In response to Planning Commission concerns raised at these earlier meetings, the packet for the January 27th meeting contains renderings of what the proposed storage complex is projected to look like from Rt. 1.

Below is a view of storage buildings from Rt. 1 at time of landscape planting

The image above shows the size of the trees when they are planted. The applicant estimates it will take 10 years for these to fully screen the buildings from Post Road.

Below are views of storage buildings from Rt. 1 10 years after landscape planting

Buildings on the Rt. 1 side of the property have roof pitches and siding that attempts to reflect existing buildings in the area. Buildings in the rear of property are flat roofed and more typical of self storage units. The applicant says the rear buildings will not be seen.

Below is a site plan showing proposed landscaping and building layout.

To read the small text or other detail on the above images, you may need to view the high resolution images provided in the meeting packet at the town website.

Proposed Groundwater Protection Strategies

For full detail on these strategies please refer to the meeting packet, what follows is meant as an overview of materials provided by and claims made by the applicant.

According to the applicant, Storage Place personnel will have emergency spill response training and will have access to storage units and will make “inspection rounds.” It also says renters will have advance notice of inspections. Renters will only have access to their units during store access hours.

Prohibited storage items (or conduct) include:

• use the unit for any illegal purpose;
• allow anyone besides the renter to use the unit;
• guns, ammunition or other weapons;
• illegal drugs, including Marijuana even if the state legalizes it;
• any hazardous materials including, toxic, reactive, volatile, flammable, explosive, or corrosive, or that are regulated by state, Federal or local authorities;
• any type of oil or fuel in any container;
• animals, food, or perishable items;
• items that might attract vermin or have a noxious odor;
• motor vehicles;
• conduct a business or hobby, or manufacture, exhibit, or sale of items from the unit;
• connect to electricity, internet, or any other utilities;
• washing or rinsing of dumpsters, vehicles, or containers on the site.

According to the application, the buildings are designed to contain any spills, there is gated access to stop unauthorized access, and the site is outside the 100 year flood plain now and outside the 100 year flood plain with 7ft. of sea level rise.

There will be a private bathroom for the office personnel which requires a private well and nitrogen reducing septic system.

Other information provided by the applicant:

Traffic: There are an estimated 11.1 round trips to the facility, per day, January to March and 19.4 round trips per day June to August. These are based on a similar facility that the applicant owns in Stonington Connecticut.

Lighting: Will be the full cut off and dark-sky compliant. The applicant will not provide a Lighting Plan until the Preliminary Plan Review stage.

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Virginia Lee, the author of this post, was President of the Charlestown Town Council for the recent two terms that she served on the Council (2014 to 2020). She was the Town Council liaison to the Agricultural Commission, the Waste Water Management Commission, Coastal Pond Management Commission, Zoning Board of Review, Charlestown Potable Water Working Group, the Historical Society and the committee updating the Harbor Management Plan. She is a former member of South Kingstown’s Town Council, Zoning Board, and Conservation Commission. She is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the South Kingstown Land Trust and a former member of the Board of Directors of Save the Bay. She retired from the URI Coastal Resources Center in 2012. Virginia plans to write occasionally about the work of the Charlestown Planning Commission over the next year or so.