Story by Elise Fisch
The Village of Warwick Planning Board met on Tues., Mar. 10 to hear and discuss propositions of developments and extensions of sites in the Village of Warwick.
The Village View Cluster Subdivision planned for the area off Locust St. and Woodside Dr. has been a controversial topic in the Village due to environmental and safety concerns of residents currently living near the area.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been submitted to the board and is currently under review. The FEIS is a lengthy report detailing the environmental effects the Village View project will have on the surrounding area, covering such topics as wastewater management, fiscal impacts, school services, and irretrievable and irreversible commitment of resources. The document is available to the public on the Village of Warwick website, www.villageofwarwick.org.
New Sewage Line Needed
A new sewage line will need to be built to accommodate the housing in the Village View Development, but the construction of the new line should not take more than a couple of weeks, according to the Village View LLC representatives. The Robin Brae pump station is the nearest to the new development, but the area is at capacity already and could be overloaded with any more line additions. The Village View LLC representatives proposed a gravity-driven system that would direct sewage through a new line towards St. Anthony Community Hospital. This will help avoid any overloading or need for a new pump station.
Rezoning & Parking Discussions
The Planning Board briefly discussed other topics including an extension to the Sterling Bank site on Oakland Ave. and the proposed rezoning of the Warwick Feed & Grain property on Elm St.
The Board also discussed where to allocate parking for the apartments currently being built at 18 Railroad Ave. in the Village. The seven new apartments, which are all one-bedroom units, will require 11 available parking spots for potential tenants. Available parking is always a concern as demand is high, particularly in the downtown area. According to the Planning Board, the ideal solution is to determine a place where tenants could park that will not take spaces away from village employees or tourists during business hours.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Warwick Village Planning Board will take place on Tues., Apr. 14, at 7:30 p.m. at Village Hall, located at 77 Main St. in Warwick.
