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Council Considers Post Road Zoning Change, Tax Rate Vote

Warwick City Hall
Warwick City Hall. Surplus
Warwick City Hall.

WARWICK, R.I.  — The Warwick City Council’s agenda for tonight at 7 p.m. in Warwick City Hall begins with a public hearing on switching zoning for 623 Post Road, Law Offices of James Donelan, to Residential A-7 with Planned Unit Development (PUD) Overlay District, wrapping with a vote to approve Mayor Joseph J. Solomon’s proposed tax rate taking effect July 1, 2019.

This evening’s hearing will concern petitioner James Donelan’s request to switch the parcel’s zoning  from Residential A-7 to Residential A-7 with Planned Unit Development (PUD) Overlay District. According to city zoning ordinance, such zoning allows a mixture of residential and limited commercial uses or industrial and limited commercial uses on the same site for the purpose of promoting flexible site plan layouts and design of appropriate large parcels.

Waivers would be granted on the site for less than required front and side yard setbacks (existing), less than required landscape buffer on Tennyson Road, less than the minimum required lot size, greater than allowed percentage of office space within a Residential PUD, less than required parking aisle width, and an existing sign larger (6′ x 2′) than allowed (previously approved by Zoning Board of Review.)

Donelan would also be instructed to minimize impacts on neighboring residential properties, to include screening with the installation of a solid fence, with a minimum height of six feet.

Following the hearing, a number of resolutions up for first passage, which are not yet drafted, are scheduled on the agenda:

  1. PCO-18-15 Neighborhood Improvement Program- An Ordinance that will make Landlords responsible for the costs to pick up debris left on the street by tenants. (Councilman Ladouceur, Councilwoman Travis)
  2. PCO-3-18 Rocky Point – Ordinance to Protect the Rights of Private Property Owners (Councilman Ladouceur)
  3. PCO-7-19–PensionBoard(CouncilmanLadouceur)
  4. PCO-10-19 Ordinance in regards to water discharge (Councilman Ladouceur, Councilwoman Travis, Councilman McElroy, Councilman McAllister, Councilman Sinapi)
  5. PCO-11-19 – Amendment to the Ordinance relative to parking on Herff Jones Way (Councilman Rix, Councilman Ladouceur, Councilman Corley)
The Council’s agenda ends with a resolution to adopt the city’s tax rate for the next year. Last week, Mayor Joseph J. Solomon released his drafted $322,881,043 FY20 budget, which set tax rates at about 10 percent lower than last year, generating about 3.46 percent more than the FY19 net tax levy amount.

Solomon’s budget proposal sets the tax rate, per $1,000 of assessed value, at:

  • Residential at $18.73 (a decrease of 9.95 percent, from $20.80)
  • Commercial at $28.10 (a decrease of 9.92 percent, from $31.19)
  • Personal property at $37.46 (a decrease of 9.93 percent, from $41.59
  • The motor vehicle rate is frozen, per state law, at $34.60.

A full agenda and supporting documents for the meeting are embedded below:

Warwick-City-Council-May-20-2019
Rob Borkowski
Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.

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