The Warwick Planning Board has approved a subdivision of land near Rocky Point State Park after the project was scaled back from an earlier proposal for seven duplexes to four buildable lots. The vote came at the board's Nov. 4 meeting, clearing the way for four buildable lots with frontage on Palmer Avenue and a roughly two-acre open-space parcel behind them.
The approval caps months of review for the 4.09-acre property at 445 Palmer Ave., the site of a project by developer Terry Harrington. The parcel is directly across the street from the gateways to Rocky Point State Park. It sits in an A-10 residential zone, which requires a minimum lot area of 10,000 square feet; the four new lots each measure approximately 22,000 square feet.
From Seven Duplexes to Four Buildable Lots
The 445 Palmer Avenue proposal was on the Warwick Planning Board's agenda by June 10, 2026, before the August meeting. At that stage, the proposal called for seven duplexes totaling 14 units built along a private road, each unit with its own garage, driveway parking spot and private back patio, according to earlier warwickonline.com coverage of the seven-duplex proposal after the Aug. 12, 2026, meeting, which said review would continue at an Oct. 14 meeting. The earlier version of the property was described as 4.09 acres in reporting from rireminder.com.
Michael Resnick was the applicant's attorney in earlier proceedings. Engineer Josh Kline explained the designs.
Stormwater and Open-Space Questions Lingered
Concerns over the project's environmental footprint shadowed the review for months. During the earlier seven-duplex proposal, a representative from the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management raised concerns that the plan as it then stood could send stormwater overflow onto RIDEM-managed land, per the same rireminder.com account, and requested an earthen berm or another provision to keep stormwater contained on site. Residents and officials voiced broader concerns about the effects on wildlife habitat, stormwater management, and the property's proximity to the state park. The board continued the matter to Aug. 12 and later to Oct. 14.
Under the approved plan, the roughly two-acre rear parcel would be preserved as open space. Jane Austin, chair of the Warwick Land Trust, submitted a letter opposing the earlier proposal and raised concerns about buffers, setbacks, density and impervious surface.
Neighbors and Officials Raised Concerns During Review
Neighbors had opposed the earlier proposal. Board member Benny Bergantino took part in the board's review.
The vote approved a four-lot subdivision. A Change.org petition circulating ahead of the vote had urged the Warwick Planning Board to deny the earlier seven-duplex application, framing the 445 Palmer Avenue site as a gateway parcel worth protecting, though the board's Nov. 4 vote moved forward regardless.
