Recommendation Tuesday advances proposed water reclassification to full council for final decision.
Historical photographs, topographical maps and two hours of expert testimony Tuesday afternoon weren’t enough to convince a panel of state regulators to ease development restrictions along the shoreline of a North Kingstown country club.
A subcommittee of the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) voted 3-0 to deny Quidnessett Country Club’s petition to reclassify a section of waterfront along its golf course.
But the country club’s petition filed last April isn’t sunk yet. The subcommittee’s denial serves as an advisory recommendation, which will be considered and voted on by the full council at a future meeting. No date had yet been scheduled as of Tuesday night.
Robin Main, the attorney for Quidnessett, declined to comment.
Reached by phone Tuesday night, Janice Matthews, vice president of The Jan Companies, which owns the country club, said she was unable to talk.
If approved, the water type reclassification — from the existing Type 1 “conservation area” to a less stringent Type 2 “low intensity use,” could allow for the club to build a permanent structure, like an illegal seawall, along its waterfront property line.
Which is exactly what prompted the application… Click here to read the full article.