North Smithfield Planning Board - June 11, 2026
Meeting — June 11, 2026
Meeting overview
Executive session: Rankin Estates litigation
Case cited: Narragansett Improvement Company v. Town of North Smithfield, C.A. No. PC-08-7468
The board's special meeting opened at 6:03 PM with a motion to enter executive session under R.I. Gen. Laws §42-46-5(a)(2), covering sessions pertaining to collective bargaining or pending/potential litigation. The single agenda item named was "Narragansett Improvement Company versus Town of North Smithfield, C.A. Case No. PC-08-7468" — the same case number associated with the original 2008 declaratory-judgment action the town filed against Narragansett Improvement over the Rankin Estates property, and the same case in which the North Smithfield Neighborhood Coalition's 2012 motion to intervene was denied as untimely. The session ran until 7:00 PM. On exiting, the board voted to seal the minutes and stated for the record that no votes were taken during the session.
This confirms that some form of the original 2008 litigation over Rankin Estates was still active enough in mid-2026 to warrant a dedicated closed session — running concurrently with the 2026 public preliminary-plan hearings on the same project. What specifically was discussed, and whether it bears on the ongoing preliminary-plan review, is not part of the public record from this meeting.
Agenda at a glance
| Item | Summary | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 322 Eddie Dowling Highway (Gas Station/Car Wash) | Applicant requested a one-year extension of a January 2025 preliminary plan approval while awaiting RIDEM state permits; attorney noted the state is moving toward two-year master plan validity given how common these permitting delays have become, and confirmed financing is in place. | Extension granted, 5–0 |
| Village Gas — Reinstatement Request | Applicant's preliminary plan approval (Dec. 2024) had lapsed after he was traveling internationally and missed the extension deadline; attorney confirmed no changes to the comprehensive plan, subdivision regulations, zoning ordinance, or site conditions since original approval, satisfying reinstatement criteria under Subdivision Regs §7.3A and R.I. Gen. Laws §45-23-62(b). | Reinstated, 5–0 |
| 566 Providence Pike — Combined Preliminary/Final Plan | Two-lot subdivision (32.5 acres) separating an existing house lot from a ~30-acre rear parcel requiring a wetland-crossing driveway; applicant had already secured all required RIDEM (wetlands, RIPDES, OWTS/septic) and RIDOT permits over roughly two years, allowing a combined approval rather than preliminary-only. | Approved, 5–0 |
| Buxton Hollow Farm (Jake's Farm 2) — Pre-Application | Informal concept review of a revised 9-lot single-family conservation subdivision (down from a previously approved 12-unit/6-duplex master plan). No vote; board and public gave design feedback. See detail below. | Informational, no vote |
| FEMA Flood Map Update — Zoning Ordinance Amendment | Board recommended the Town Council adopt an amendment updating the zoning ordinance's flood maps to match FEMA's revised maps, finding it consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. | Recommended, 4–0 |
Buxton Hollow Farm (Jake's Farm 2): Pre-Application Detail
What changed from the original approval
The 25.5-acre site at 300 Buxton Street previously received master plan approval as "Jake's Farm," a 6-duplex (12-unit) condominium-style conservation development. The revised proposal ("Jake's Farm 2," a distinct application from a new applicant, Green Development/Jake's Farm 2 LLC) reduces this to 9 single-family lots with 15.4 acres (61%) preserved as open space — well above the 50% conservation-development minimum. Each lot would have its own septic system and private well, with two of the nine designated low/moderate-income housing units.
Board feedback: waivers, the barn, and open-space access
The applicant is contemplating a waiver to narrow the roadway to 20 feet where it crosses a wetland (versus the standard 26-foot requirement). Board member Dr. Benoit raised concerns about snowplow clearance and asked whether soil borings would confirm the road base is sound over old wetland fill; the applicant's engineer said borings hadn't been done yet at this pre-application stage. Board member Roland Menard suggested the entire roadway conform to the 26-foot standard rather than requesting a wetland-specific reduction, and urged the applicant to minimize the number of waivers requested overall: "the less number of waivers that you come to us, the easier it will make us make our decision... I hate to do is set precedents."
Multiple board members and the town planner suggested relocating an existing ~18-year-old barn (which the applicant wanted to keep, currently sited on Lot 9 with a reduced front-yard setback) into the shared open space instead, so it could be maintained by and made available to the whole neighborhood rather than becoming private property tied to a single lot. The applicant's representative called it "a great suggestion" and said the company would consider it. Board members also asked that the open space include a walking connection between lots so all future residents — not just those adjacent to the preserved land — could access it, and Menard asked that the barn be explicitly deed-restricted against event rentals.
Public comment: waivers and sidewalks
Three residents (all identified as abutters on Buxton Street) spoke. One asked whether nine new lots could eventually generate additional accessory dwelling units (ADUs); the town planner confirmed ADUs are authorized by state statute and the board cannot override that by local stipulation. Two abutters objected to a sidewalk waiver being requested, arguing sidewalks should be standard in 2026 and that granting waivers here creates precedent for future applicants to request the same; the planner clarified that no waivers have technically been requested yet since this is only a pre-application. The board asked the applicant to return with more detail on how sidewalks and drainage would be handled where the road narrows through the wetland crossing.