SMITHFIELD – With neighborhood opposition scarce, new homes in a commercial zone on Douglas Pike appear to be on course for approval by the Smithfield Planning Board.
Property owner Domenic Grieco, of Harris Holdings LLC, and his experts presented to the board on Oct. 15, sharing how the plans for The Residences at 61 Harris, located at 61 Harris Road next to Coffee Connection, have changed.
Planned now are seven residential units, down from the nine proposed as of May, and Grieco and his team stated how they took feedback given in the spring and changed plans to be more palatable for the town.
The plan calls for one-way traffic to enter the property from Harris Road, then exit onto Douglas Pike through the commercial parking lots. By the end of the Oct. 15 meeting, board members were contemplating a potential revision to separate the two properties and have all entering and exiting happen on Harris Road. They cited possible safety concerns for children in the residential development as well as those using the commercial properties and adjoining dance school.
Experts said this is a relatively complex application for what is a fairly straightforward plan, and they need several approvals, including for a master plan application with unified development review and zone change and comprehensive plan amendment requests.
The property is located on the east side of Harris Road, immediately north of Douglas Pike (Route 7) in Smithfield, near I-295. The 2.1-acre site is vacant but previously approved for future commercial as part of a common development on adjacent lots. The triangular site includes an existing driveway, grass area, and utility infrastructure serving several lots. The existing zoning is commercial.
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The major land development project proposes rezoning the lot to residential together with an amendment to the town’s comprehensive plan to reflect the change on the future land use map. The proposed zone and use are consistent with adjacent properties, which were originally permitted together with this lot, and provide for a logical transition from commercial areas fronting Douglas Pike to neighboring residential uses on Harris Road “at a considerably less intensive development than that originally contemplated,” says the property owner.
The project requires dimensional relief for a density in excess of one unit per 20,000 square feet of land area, as well as for a rear property setback associated with one structure at 24 feet where 30 feet is required, and for separation of a commercial building to a residential zone.
Engineer Sam Hemenway, of Garofalo & Associates, said the property was previously going to be developed as part of the Coffee Connection and Slice & Scoop property next door. This is a transition zone between a major corridor and the more rural/suburban Harris Road, he added, and less intensive housing makes sense for the neighborhood, especially related to traffic and visual impacts.
Hemenway said they backed off on density as they seek to rezone the property. He said there was no way to change the amount of relief requested by altering the site plan.
The property was envisioned for commercial development with the nearby parcels, he added, but lay vacant until purchased by Grieco. This represents a shift from more intense commercial to less intrusive residential, he said, and a seventh unit included is important for the overall financial picture of the project.
The exit through the commercial properties would be through a common exit access easement.
The property owner’s team emphasized that they could get more density by right with a commercial use, but they feel this is the ideal and appropriate location for a zone change to residential. It’s also a unique property, a triangle with two sides abutting other residences, they said.
Reducing traffic for an area with traffic concerns near I-295 is important, they said, and is more compatible than any commercial use. Having a different type of housing than typical single-family homes would also benefit the town, they said, with units being townhouses and owned by those who live there.
Asked if they would be concerned about the circulation network for people departing the property, they said it would be more problematic if commercial traffic was heading out toward Harris Road.
Grieco said Smithfield is a great town to do business in. He said he lives in Lincoln, where the state’s push on housing is leading to more apartment buildings that don’t fit their neighborhoods. He said they looked at all options for this property, including nine units, but decided based on the feedback in May to shrink it down. Commercial would be far more impactful than the seven homes, he said.
The owner said he won’t be able to retire on the profits from this development, and wants to be proud of the project when he drives by. He said he knows it’s a big ask, and that the word condo isn’t always a great word to folks. He said perhaps focusing on the idea of a townhouse community will be more worthwhile to people rather than trying to cram a lot into a zone where it doesn’t fit.
Several people spoke in support of the project, including residents nearby.
David Martinelli, who operates the nearby property, said the price point of the homes at $650,000 will be excellent and similar to others in the area, and the project overall will fit well with what’s there already. Martinelli said those behind the project explained every inch of the project and did it well.
Mike DiBiasio said surrounding residents like residential because those are the people they interact with and have a great relationship with. He said there are many professionals or professional retirees living nearby, and they’d be happy seeing more. He said he’s a hard person to impress, and he went to the community meeting expecting to take issue with the development, but came away very happy. If everything is what’s been promised, he said, then it’s exactly what they’re looking for. Many neighbors are in agreement they would rather have this type of project than more commercial units, he said.
Kristin Vandemortele, of 30 Harris Road across Douglas Pike, said her worst fear is more traffic from additional commercial in an area where alarms from Coffee Connection and Slice & Scoop go off at all hours of the night and traffic is already bad. She said there are so many car accidents near the home that her daughter isn’t allowed in the front yard, and she would rather see more homes than businesses that would create more noise, traffic, and anxiety.
Vandemortele said Slice & Scoop and Coffee Connection are both nice spots and small locally owned businesses, but her worst fear is a big business comes in and makes life so much worse. She said as a mom and resident of Smithfield, she would appreciate it not becoming more of a commercial zone than it is.
Officials concluded the discussion by asking if the developer would consider blocking off the connection between the commercial and future residential property. They said they can look into that, as the intent was for a common development with an easement calling for a restriction for exiting onto Harris Road.
Board members said they agree with the concept of what’s being proposed, but there might be too much going on currently and some issues with the design. Chairperson James D’Ambra said the positive comments from the public had him questioning some of his concerns.
The board continued the matter to Nov. 19 so the experts, as Grieco phrased it, can go back to the drawing board on new design options.
