Virginia Lee: “Independent Charlestown Town Council candidate Bonnie Van Slyke’s previous service on the Town Council proves she has the experience and integrity to represent you well. She is a proven candidate for Charlestown Town Council. She will listen to your concerns and is willing to do the hard work to protect our environment, our economy, and our low tax rate.”
Let’s continue to elect excellent candidates to town government who understand the connection between our environment, our economy and our low tax rate and who are willing to do the hard work to protect all three. Who you elect for local office will affect your tax rate and will shape the landscape and character of the town years into the future.
When: Wednesday, June 22 at 7 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
What: Master Plan Meeting for the redevelopment of the Shoreline Plaza on Old Post Road with addition of five new commercial buildings and Preliminary Plan presentation for a 4-lot residential frontage subdivision at the corner of Old Mill Road and Rt. 112 (Carolina Back Road).
All meetings of the Planning Commission are public and the public is encouraged to attend and participate in this meeting.
“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. At the January meeting 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”.
When: Wednesday, October 27 at 7 p.m.
Where: Charlestown Town Hall
What: Pre-Application Meeting for the redevelopment of the Shoreline Plaza with addition of three new commercial 8,000 square foot buildings.
“Shoreline Plaza” is a 9.12 acre parcel and is the last parcel on Old Post Road next to South Kingstown line.
At their July 28 meeting, the Charlestown Planning Commission voted to approve the Village Walk application on a vote of 4 in favor and 1 opposed based on findings of fact and conditions of approval. The applicant’s attorney claimed that the conditions of approval amounted to a denial.
On the Charlestown Planning Commission’s July 7th meeting agenda are two major subdivisions – “Summer Winds”, and “Summer Winds”. That isn’t a typo! The developers of the Summer Winds subdivision, are now proposing a Major Subdivision Comprehensive Permit on the same land as the Summer Winds subdivision and also calling it Summer Winds. They haven’t withdrawn the original Summer Winds, so for now there are two different proposals, with the same name, by the same developer, for the same parcel of land.
On the Charlestown Planning Commission’s June 23rd meeting agenda are three major land developments – “Village Walk”, “Summer Winds”, and “Rippy’s Garages” – along with other applications. You can join the live Webex meeting on June 23 at 7 p.m.
Village Walk will be on the May 26th meeting. This is a continuation of the discussion of Village Walk that took place April 28. The meeting packet contains a peer review report from an architect explaining ways the Village Walk buildings and layout could be modified to better fit into the village.
On the Charlestown Planning Commission’s April 28th meeting agenda are two major land developments – “Summer Winds” and “Village Walk” and other proposals. Links to review all the materials submitted by the applicants, the agenda for the entire April 28 meeting, and a link to join the live Webex meeting on April 28 at 7 p.m. where these applications will be reviewed are in this post.
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), Lot 102, Map 14, 5677 Post Rd.
Covid-19 pandemic is heating up the housing market and growth in Charlestown is accelerating at a rate not seen in over 20 years. Charlestown normally sees about 20 new residential lots created per year. The Planning Commission currently has almost 80 residential lots/units in various stages of review and an additional 360 self-storage units and other commercial developments proposed.
Tonight is my last regular meeting as president of the Charlestown Town Council. I am so grateful to the people of Charlestown for your vote of confidence over the last 6 years and the opportunity to serve you with the best I had to offer. I hope you are even more engaged in town government in the future, including adoption of an updated Comprehensive Plan which will set the tone of our town for the next 10-20 years.
On August 28, 2019, 11 new rental units of affordable housing were dedicated on the Charlestown side of Shannock Village. These were Virginia Lee’s comments at the ribbon cutting. Virginia […]
The applicant’s actions undermine the open, deliberative process required for public confidence in government decision-making. Please reject this proposed supplemental water supply plan because it is vague, ambiguous, misleading, unnecessary, environmentally detrimental and a risk to the public health, safety and welfare.
It is crucial not to let the proposed Bypass go to Tier 2. By stopping it now, you will: Ensure fast rail service to Providence; Create jobs now; Save Money; Save time and avoid costly lawsuits; Save farms and open space; Join with colleagues in the State of CT …
What: Attend a Rally to protect and support our Parks and Hiking Trails, Narragansett Tribal land, Historic Neighborhoods, Active Farms, your home, and more
Where: Inside the Rotunda of the State House in Providence
When: 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25
How: Get on the bus with us! – Meet at Charlestown Town hall at 2:00 p.m.
RSVP: Please read the whole post, you have to reserve a seat on bus. Even if you drive yourself, there are rules for signs at statehouse, and more in this post that you will need to know.
Yes: It’s more important to attend the Rally than traveling to Springfield for FRA “open house”!
On Wednesday, Charlestown Council President Virginia Lee and Vice President Julie Carroccia along with Westerly Town Council President Jamie Silvestri and Westerly Councilman Jean Gagnier led a delegation of Charlestown and Westerly residents representing some of the groups impacted by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) plan to a meeting at the State House.
The delegation’s goal was to bring these deficiencies to the attention of the Governor so that she could be fully aware of the negative impacts in Charlestown and nearby Westerly and Richmond. Keeping the high speed rail in the current right of way will avoid all of these impacts, save the state of Rhode Island millions of taxpayer dollars and still allow for modern high speed rail transportation to link Providence to Boston and New York.
Charlestown Town Council President and Vice President Press Release Officials and volunteers from the Town of Charlestown held a constructive conference call with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Friday, January […]
Bypass would destroy the bucolic Burdickville village, demolish the historic districts of Columbia Heights and Kenyon, ruin the productive fourth-generation Stoney Hill Farm, divide The Nature Conservancy’s treasured 1100-acre Carter Preserve, demolish the preserved Revolutionary-era Amos Green Farm, and invade other protected conservation lands, all to enable long-distance passengers to traverse our town a minute faster than current rail transport allows. The inestimable and irreversible environmental costs to our town for that minute saved (to do what?) are staggering.
