Politics & Government

Planning Commission OKs New Schartner Development

A proposed development at Slocum Farm would bring a small "farming village" to the corner of Exeter and Dry Bridge Roads.

In a 5-1 vote, the North Kingstown Planning Commission gave a positive recommendation to the town’s zoning board for a proposed development at Schartner-owned Slocum Farm. All members, except Paul Dion, approved the project’s master plan.

Richard Schartner, owner of Schartner Farms, is looking to develop the 26-acre parcel at the corner of Dry Bridge Road and Exeter Road, preserving 14 acres for farming and allocating the rest to 21 residential units – including six one-bedroom, seven two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom residential units that would line Dry Bridge Road. Spanning two phases, the proposal would also renovate the greenhouses currently on site and add a commercial space to sell farm products.

“This could be a nice little farming village that could be developed,” said Jack Revens, attorney for the Schartners.

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Once a dairy farm, the property now houses a former barracks, several greenhouses and nurseries and a gravel pit. The plan would also convert the barracks building (which formerly housed 20 “immigrant laborers” according to a 1968 letter from the North Kingstown Zoning Board’s secretary) into apartments and office space. The three-bedroom house that is also currently on the property would remain.

Though Schartner could develop a maximum of 11 four-bedroom houses on the property without the master plan approval, the new Slocum Farm plan would preserve 14 acres of land and minimize the amount of children added to the school system due to the lower bedroom count per unit.

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Linda Tucker of neighboring business Sodco praised Schartner as “always having a very exciting way of looking at things,” calling the plans “very innovative.” According to commission member Harriet Powell, who spoke to Schartner prior to Tuesday’s meeting, Schartner felt the town’s regulations were too “binding” and were “stifling” development. During the meeting, Schartner suggested that the town should consider “agricultural exemptions” on a “case-by-case basis.”

“You would encourage a lot more people to do this sort of thing and have a much nicer town,” said Schartner.

Although commission members raised concerns over the development’s location in a groundwater overlay district and the amount of units proposed, Paul Dion was the only dissenting vote in the plan’s approval.

Tucker also expressed concern over flooding in the Dry Bridge Road area during public comment. According to Schartner, he would look to alleviate the problem by possibly constructing artificial waterfalls that would channel the water to ponds he plans to create on the property.

. According to the longtime farmer, the sale of more than 400 acres was the only way to cut losses after a development deal for a 140-acre lot off Ten Rod Road failed to come to fruition.


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