Official State of Rhode Island Website
Official State of Rhode Island Website
In accordance with notice to members of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council, a meeting was held on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. located at the Administration Building, Conference Room A, One Capitol Hill, Providence, RI.
Members Present
Raymond Coia, Chair
Ronald Gagnon, DEM
Steven Izzi
Carder Starr
W. Michael Sullivan
Richard Bernardo
Scott Rabideau
Staff Present
Jeffrey M. Willis, Executive Director
Laura Miguel, Deputy Director
Richard Lucia, Environmental Engineer IV
Amy Silvia, Spv Environmental Scientist
Anthony DeSisto, Legal Counsel
Mark Hartmann, Associate Legal Counsel
Laura Dwyer, Education/Information Coor -- remote
Ryan Moore, IT
Lisa Turner, Recording Secretary
1. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Coia called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
2. Review/Action of the Minutes of the Previous Meeting, June 9, 2026
Council Discussion and Motion to approve the minutes with corrected time for adjournment of June 9, 2026 meeting was 10:13 p.m.
3. Subcommittee Reports
None were heard.
4. Staff Reports
Mr. Willis reported to the Council:
Discussion on lateral access where coastal areas do not have a walkable shoreline.
5. Applications which have been Out To Notice for 30-Days and are before the Council for Review and Action:
2026-01-023 PAWTUCKET REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY -- Construct and maintain:
Project Location: Plat 22, lot 287; plat 23, lot 553; 100 Main Street & Broadway, Pawtucket, RI.
Chair Coia asked that the one-page Meeting Agenda be made as part of the record.
Sworn in and identified for the record:
Ms. Silvia gave a brief overview of the project for the installation of a fishway from below the Main Street dam to above the Slater Mill dam, along the upper Seekonk and lower Blackstone Rivers. Ms. Silvia included that the project proposed the filling of tidal waters for the fishway, construction and future maintenance of access ways for public observation, fisheries research, access and maintenance of the structure, public plaza and overlook, as well as walkways, stormwater management, and buffer zone restoration.
RIDEM and ACOE approvals are pending and expected.
A 30-day Public Notice process resulted in letters of support from
Ms. Silvia stated that it was staff opinion the applicant had:
Reduced impacts from the prior design,
Had explored alternatives, and chosen a design consistent with regulatory requirements of the Red Book and the Freshwater Wetland Program
CRMC Staff recommended approval with standard stipulations which were withheld pending Council's decision.
No questions for Ms. Silvia from the Council.
Mr. Wiberg addressed the Council stating that this project was the first at the head of tide to provide a greater goal for fish passage restoration up into the headwaters of the Blackstone River and that RIDEM and the Nature Conservancy are currently preparing designs for further up the river at the Elizabeth Webbing dam and Valley Falls.
Mr. Lucia, CRMC Staff Engineer, stated that the applicant was meeting the stormwater requirements and the work is re-establishing the existing wall.
No questions for Mr. Lucia from the Council.
No comments in favor of or against the application from the public.
Motion: Mr. Rabideau motioned to approve with standard stipulations by staff based on findings of fact set forth in the staff report including those standards that are met for the variance.
Second: Mr. Sullivan
Chair Coia did a roll call vote:
Mr. Starr Aye
Mr. Rabideau Aye
Mr. Izzi Aye
Mr. Gagnon Aye
Mr. Sullivan Aye
Chair Coia Aye
Mr. Bernardo Aye
Outcome: Motion passed.
6. Application requiring Special Exception before the Council for Public Hearing and Review and Action:
2026-01-056 CITY OF PAWTUCKET -- The second phase of the overall project associated with the Tidewater Stadium Development (Phase 1A). Phase 1B of the Project is a public/private joint development that proposes the following:
Construction of two pathways, a Lower Riverwalk (primary ADA public access path) and an Upper Riverwalk (secondary non-ADA access trail). The upper path will consist of a stabilized aggregate, and the lower path will consist of a combination of wooden boardwalk and asphalt paving to increase public visual access to the Seekonk River. The upper path will generally follow along an existing trail that begins at Festival Pier and extends northerly along the existing Narragansett Bay Commission utility easement, and the lower path boardwalk will span a coastal wetland.
Construction of one (1) stormwater basin and associated stormwater control measures.
Construction of one (1) underground sand filter infiltration chamber (UIC) system and associated stormwater control measures.
Construction of the Tidewater East plaza.
Restoration of uplands at the Site, including buffer zone/invasive species management and establishment of an Urban Coastal Greenway (UCG) per the Metro Bay Special Area Management Plan (MB SAMP);
Restoration and enhancement of a degraded coastal wetland, including invasive species management.
Establishment of two (2) “future development” inland lots along Division Street, Portuguese Social Club Way and School Street. The lots are included in this Assent Application for planning purposes. The development review of each lot will be submitted separately in the future.
6.1.1 VARIANCES – SECTION 1.1.7
The Project is designed to adhere to MB SAMP UCG Sections 5.7(2) and is requesting a Variance for Buffer Zone width. In accordance with this section, the Project is being proposed under Option 2: Variance Request to Reduce Buffer Width.
A portion of the Project is located within the MB SAMP Development Zone. Accordingly, the Project is requesting a variance from the required buffer within this area to adhere to Option 3: Compact UCG Width (50 feet) with compensation for the reduced UCG width.
Work within the MB SAMP Area of Particular Concern (APC) Zone is requesting to be permitted using Option 2: Variance Request to Reduce Buffer Width. A Special Exception is also being requested to allow for reduced buffer widths for segments of the proposed work including 150 LF of public boardwalk, 75 LF of public access path, 200 LF of public nature trail, and site grading associated with the improvements (including the future development on Lot 3).
A variance to applicable design standards of Section 1.3.1(Q) is also requested for the proposed wetland walkover structure crossing a coastal wetland in order to achieve ADA compliance.
6.1.2 SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS – SECTION 1.1.8
The project is seeking two special exceptions to allow for the proposed improvements to be fully implemented as depicted in the plan set and as described in the Application. The first Special Exception is to allow for additional encroachment into Option 2: Variance Reduction 75-foot Buffer within the APC Zone.
The second special exception is to allow the structure to be constructed over a Coastal Wetland and to allow an observation deck to be constructed along the structure.
Project Location: plat 23, lots 599, 672, 673; plat 35A, lot 361; 177 School Street, Pawtucket, RI.
Sworn in and identified for the record were:
Lance Hill, Vice President with Pare Corporation serving as the City of Pawtucket’s representative’s representative.
Kevin Aguiar, Senior Vice President with Beta Group, serving as Lead Designer on this project.
Procedural instruction from Attorney DeSisto for Special Exception.
Ms. Silvia addressed the giving a brief overview of the project stating that this is Tidewater Development’s 2nd phase which includes outlining the layout area for future private development. Ms. Silvia explained that the project will provide stormwater, public access, and habitat restoration. Specifically, the project will include:
Ms. Silvia stated that a Special Exception, an overlook and width variance are required for work within the coastal wetland related to the proposed boardwalk. Ms. Silvia explained that a degraded habitat will be restored and enlarged.
Ms. Silvia stated that it was staff's opinion that the applicant has met the guidance provided during numerous review conversations and prior preliminary determination reports and recommended approval. Along with staff recommendation, Ms. Silvia explained that standard stipulations are withheld pending Council's decision, which would reflect the finalized O and M plan, conservation easement for the UCG, and the UCG Buffer Management Plan, similar to Phase 1A processing of the stadium.
Mr. Lucia addressed the Council and stated that he had no objection to project and that he also recommended approval especially because of the new stormwater treatment system which will treat development and urban development in watershed.
Mr. Rabideau asked about the breakdown of financing between the public entity and the private developer. Ms. Silvia was unaware of the financial information.
Mr. Rabideau asked about later development proposed on lots 2 and 3. Ms. Silvia explained that the two housing developments would need permits for work within 200’ but the buffer zones would be established under this permit.
Mr. Rabideau asked about the plans for the wetland restoration. Ms. Silvia stated that the wetland restoration information was in narrative form with some of the details being solidified and clarified in the UCG Management plan. Mr. Rabideau expressed concern that the wetland mitigation being used as an integral part of Special Exception reasoning and we need to make sure it if property designed.
Mr. Rabideau asked Mr. Lucia about the paving of the pathways as opposed to the preliminary determination requirement for pervious materials. Mr. Lucia stated that the pathway would just be for walking not vehicles, there was consideration for ADA compliancy, and the large stormwater basin would catch runoff from impervious areas.
Mr. Sullivan asked Mr. Lucia about the size of the stormwater basin and the ability to handle the amount of water generated from 1” of rainfall. Mr. Lucia stated that the project has an underground infiltration basin which are sized to predicted development. Mr. Lucia stated that the stormwater system is overly designed and that the underground infiltration basins will handle the flow.
Mr. Hill addressed the Council and stated that this is our major economic development project for the City of Pawtucket, one that we've been working very closely with the staff on for the last 15 to 16 months to get to this point. Members of the City of Pawtucket are present -- the Executive Director of the Pawtucket Redevelopment Agency, Jason Pezzullo, and Director of Public Works, Chris Crawley, are both here as the applicants.
Mr. Hill also added that there is a very large stormwater drainage system that flows right by where the stormwater park is which is currently untreated flowing to the river. Mr. Hill stated that the untreated flow is being redirected to the new stormwater park.
Mr. Rabideau asked the applicant about the percentage of finance between the public/private partnership. Mr. Hill stated that the City has applied for and approved for a loan through the RI Infrastructure Bank for $30 million dollars. The City will be funding the pedestrian bridge, the river walk and the stormwater park within that limit. Mr. Hill confirmed that there would be a lot of private money going into the project itself including buildings, grading and maintenance.
Mr. Rabideau asked Mr. Aguiar about the status of the plans for the wetland mitigation area. Mr. Aguiar stated that they would work through and make sure that the final plans or details are adequate for what's necessary for the Council. Mr. Aguiar stated that he would not object to a Council stipulation that the wetland mitigation area will meet all of the standards of the small wetland restoration project's guidance of the CRMC. Mr. Aguiar confirmed that he would comply with what is necessary from CRMC.
No further questions from the council
No public Comment
Chair Coia opened the Public Hearing for Special Exception, and there being no one present;
closed the public hearing.
No further questions heard from Council
Special Exception: Motion: Mr. Rabideau motioned for the approval of the Special Exception based on report by staff and presentation by the applicant that all of the standards of the Special Exception has been met.
Second: Mr. Izzi.
Chair Coia did a roll call vote:
Mr. Starr Aye
Mr. Rabideau Aye
Mr. Izzi Aye
Mr. Gagnon Aye
Mr. Sullivan Aye
Chair Coia Aye
Mr. Bernardo Aye
Outcome: Motion to approve Special Exception passed.
Mr. Rabideau motioned for the approval of the application based on meeting the variance and the addition of a stipulation that CRMC staff shall receive, prior to construction, a plan that is acceptable to staff for the wetland mitigation area that meets the standards of the CRMC guidance policy for small wetland restoration projects.
Seconded by Mr. Bernardo.
Chair Coia did a roll call vote:
Mr. Starr Aye
Mr. Rabideau Aye
Mr. Izzi Aye
Mr. Gagnon Aye
Mr. Sullivan Aye
Chair Coia Aye
Mr. Bernardo Aye
Outcome: Motion for the approval of the project passed.
7. Request for Executive Session pursuant to RIGL § 42-46-5 (a)(2):
Annual litigation update.
Enter Executive Session:
Motion: Mr. Sullivan
Second: Mr. Izzi
Chair Coia did a roll call vote:
Mr. Starr Aye
Mr. Rabideau Aye
Mr. Izzi Aye
Mr. Gagnon Aye
Mr. Sullivan Aye
Chair Coia Aye
Mr. Bernardo Aye
Outcome: Motion to enter Executive Session passed.
Seal the minutes of the Executive Session:
Motion: Mr. Sullivan
Second: Mr. Rabideau
Chair Coia did a roll call vote:
Mr. Starr Aye
Mr. Rabideau Aye
Mr. Izzi Aye
Mr. Gagnon Aye
Mr. Sullivan Aye
Chair Coia Aye
Mr. Bernardo Aye
Outcome: Motion to seal the minutes of the Executive Session passed.
8. Action on items discussed in Executive Session.
No action taken as a result of anything that was discussed in Executive Session.
9. ADJOURN
Motion to adjourn:
Motion: Mr. Sullivan
Second: Mr. Rabideau
Motion to adjourn approved on a unanimous voice vote. The meeting was adjourned at 7:33 pm.
Minutes respectfully submitted,
Lisa A. Turner, Recording Secretary
Stedman Government Center, Suite 3
4808 Tower Hill Road
Wakefield, RI 02879-1900
Voice: (401) 783-3370
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