Charlestown Commons Withdraws Over Unsuitable Soil At Cross’ Mills Site
“Charlestown Commons” was proposed as a mixed-use project on 8 acres of land at the corner of Rt. 1 and Falcone Lane, and consisting of retail, restaurant and residential.
The applicant had asked for continuances of the Public Hearing since September and at the January 26, 2022 Planning Commission meeting they asked to withdraw the application entirely.
At the January meeting, Ruth Platner, the Planning Commission Chair, read a communication from the applicant explaining that the soil on the site would not support a septic system and was therefore “not a buildable lot given its soil conditions”.
In his communication to the Town Planner, the applicant said, “it has been a pleasure working with you and the planning board and legal team as well.”
The development was before the Planning Commission for Master Plan review on July 28 and August 25, 2021, where it received positive feedback from the Charlestown Planning Commission and Town Planner for applying the Town’s regulations with regard to architecture, materials and landscaping. Over half the site would have been preserved in a well head protection area. There is more about this, now withdrawn, proposal in a July post at this website.
The banner image is a rendering of an aerial view of the proposed development. Falcone Lane is on the right and bottom in the image above. Rt 1 is at the top of the image.
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.
February 8, 2022 @ 11:25 pm
This is great news. So glad this “development” did not go through. Charlestown’s greatest resources are its natural spaces. This will become ever so much more so as time goes on. Once the land has been paved there’s no going back. I would like to see more land purchased by the town to be held in natural preservation to further protect lots from being developed for a profit.
February 7, 2022 @ 9:01 am
I always wanted to see that site developed that way so this is disappointing. Can’t imagine that there is not a treatment alternative that would mitigate the problem. It would be a real boon to the town, and financially rewarding I am sure, for everybody.
Kate Waterman
February 7, 2022 @ 10:21 am
On the one hand yes it would be nice to have more housing here, on the other hand we need to protect our environment and coastline from more human expansion and habitat loss …low light skies for migration of birds , flood zone / hurricane issues, needing more trees and vegetation, not less…(I do realize there isn’t any there now). The “ alternative” to the septic issue would be town water. No thanks to over development. With all due respect, See Warwick, West Warwick, Cranston…. Is that what we want for our future?
February 7, 2022 @ 9:05 pm
Thank you, Robin. Your words reflect the sentiment of many of us. Stop building, preserve the land!