In Westerly 2,300-Unit Housing Complex Proposed Next to Coastal Pond
When : Tuesday, February 6th at 6 p.m.
Where: Westerly Town Hall Council Chambers, 45 Broad St (Second Floor), Westerly
What: The Westerly Planning Board will hear comments on a proposal to build a 2,300-unit housing complex adjacent to Winnapaug Pond, in Westerly. This housing complex would be built on what is currently the Winnapaug Country Club’s golf course on Shore Road. To view Tuesday’s meeting agenda and learn more about this proposal click HERE.
We received the following message from the Salt Ponds Coalition
We hope that you will consider coming to the meeting to have your voice heard if you have concerns about this project. Some of Salt Ponds Coalition’s concerns about this project include:
- This area is already designated as developed beyond carrying capacity according to the Coastal Salt Ponds Special Area Management Plan. An addition of 2,300 housing units would exacerbate this carrying capacity problem and a consequence of this level of over-development will be diminished water quality in Winnapaug Pond.
- There is no indication in the master plan as to how sewage will be handled. The proposed development of the Winnapaug Golf Club property would potentially add 2,300 housing units and if not properly handled, nutrients and bacteria could end up in the groundwater which ultimately will flow into Winnapaug Pond with deleterious effects.
- The stormwater runoff increase created by this development plan because of newly installed impervious surfaces will be a problem. Winnapaug Pond already doesn’t have eelgrass or any other form of subaquatic vegetation, likely because of the historical use of herbicides as well as excess nutrient pollution. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently completed the South Shore Restoration Project in Winnapaug Pond aimed at increasing eelgrass populations. Increasing the runoff into the pond will only exacerbate the current problem, and possibly hinder current restoration efforts.
- Building south of Shore Road adjacent to Winnapaug Pond will be vulnerable to sea level rise, storm surge, and other related impacts of climate change. The predicted increase of rainfall and hurricanes on the East Coast due to climate change heighten our concern for increased runoff, sewage issues, and infrastructure failure from a development this large and this close to Winnapaug.
- Rhode Island is geographically a member of the Atlantic Flyway and Winnapaug serves as a refuge for migrating waterfowl to rest. Additional light pollution from the proposed development project may either dissuade birds from using the pond or confuse them on their journey.
Please consider coming to the Westerly Town Hall next week to have your voice heard, and help the Salt Ponds Coalition protect Winnapaug Pond.
If you are concerned, but cannot attend, there is contact information for the Westerly Town Council and others at this related web page. Emails should be sent before February 6.
The banner image is a map showing Winnapaug Pond on the far left, Quonochontaug Pond to the right, and a part of Ninigret Pond on the far right.
“The salt ponds are coastal lagoons; shallow, productive marine embayments separated from the ocean by barrier spits. Although the physical characteristics vary between salt ponds, they all provide important ecosystem and habitat functions. These functions include prime habitat for commercial and recreational fin and shellfish; resting and feeding stops for water fowl migrating along the Atlantic flyway; and their protected waters support a variety of human uses ranging from a commercial fishing port and the Block Island ferry terminal to favorite sites for recreational uses such as wind surfing, boating, fishing, water skiing, and nature photography. The salt ponds are an important factor in the quality of life for local residents and a prime recreational attraction for tourists in the region.” Read more at CRMC
March 2, 2024 @ 7:00 pm
Remember Superstorm Sandy. We had septic tanks dumpsters and camping trailers floating in Winnapaug Pond. Will we ever learn…NO
February 6, 2024 @ 12:49 pm
I am totally against this. Westerly cannot handle this amount of people and so quickly. I sent an email to the town council last week and did not get a response. Our beaches have enough issues with the weather patterns. I also agree with the concerns outlined by the salt pond collition
March 2, 2024 @ 6:48 pm
We live on Winnipaug Pond along the 13th fairway. This will kill the ecosystem, and the ponds Charlestown are next don’t let this happen to you. We are the Canary in Charlestowns coal mine.
February 4, 2024 @ 1:03 pm
Two thousand three hundred units? When I first saw the number, I thought I’d misread it. Even 230 would be a lot, but 2300? This is an appalling proposal. All the concerns raised by the Salt Ponds coalition are valid. Not to mention the irony of undoing work that the EPA and RIDEM have been doing — and paying for — for decades.
Beyond that, there’s the question of Westerly supplying social and protective services, sanitation, education, and administration for another 5,000 to 10,000 residents. At what cost? We know major developments do not pay for themselves.
And there’s a social consideration. Yes, we need more affordable housing. Absolutely. An influx of that number, however, is better absorbed when it is distributed throughout town, not isolated in a single industrial-scale mega-development. Future residents will fare better, too.
March 2, 2024 @ 6:55 pm
Please, Charlestown does not need to go through this. Do not allow yourselves to be put in this position.
February 3, 2024 @ 1:12 pm
I am against this proposed 2300 unit housing complex development in the area of a sensitive ecosystem, Coastal pond. I agree with the concerns outlined by the Salt Pond Coalition. .