Planners begin review of Dowling Village plan

The town planner says Bucci Development has been asked to provide more detail on the impact of the retail complex proposal.

Friday, March 18, 2005

By JOHN HILL
Journal Staff Writer

NORTH SMITHFIELD -- The fate of the Dowling Village shopping complex, a 120-acre array of offices, restaurants and retail businesses proposed for Route 146A, is pretty much in the hands of the Planning Board, officials said.

In recent weeks, project opponents, who fear it will dramatically increase traffic and spoil the town's residential character, have packed Town Council meetings seeking information and influence.

But it will be the Planning Board that will have the biggest say on whether it will be built.

The plans by Warwick-based Bucci Development call for a complex of stores, offices and condominiums to be built on both sides of the North Smithfield-Woonsocket line. About 18 acres of it will be in Woonsocket.

It's expected it will host seven to 10 national-chain retail stores ranging in size from 10,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet. The main entrances will be off Route 146A.

Bucci officials estimate the project could generate $1 million to $2 million in property taxes for North Smithfield. This year's town budget is about $26 million.

The Planning Board is waiting for Bucci to provide more specific information about what effect the Woonsocket portion will have on traffic in North Smithfield.

Town Planner Michael Phillips said the town also wants more analysis as to how it will have to increase town services if the development is built.

"We want to look at the fiscal impact as well," he said. "How many police and firefighters are needed? We need a more detailed look at that."

Once Bucci Development submits that data, probably at the Planning Board's April or May meetings, Phillips said the next major step would be for the board to set a preliminary plan review.

Though it is dubbed preliminary, the first-phase plans -- a cluster of six buildings in the area near Landmark Medical Center's rehabilitation hospital -- will be extremely detailed.

Bucci will have to have all needed state permits from agencies such as the Department of Transportation and the Department of Environmental Management.

The plan then would be the subject of a public hearing by the Planning Board, with legal advertisements announcing the hearing and abutters being notified by certified mail.

If that approval it granted, the last major review would be final plan approval. That would be to make sure the final plans are in accordance with town rules and any stipulations the board may have set. As long as the approved preliminary plan and any recommended changes are followed, the board has little power to reject it at that point.