An initial proposal for another major residential development in the north end of Tiverton was met last week with a barrage of questions from members of the Tiverton Planning Board.

A team representing BCP Properties, LLC, whose principal is Richard R. Tasca of Providence, unveiled plans at the board’s August 1 meeting to build 225 single-family rental homes and nine non-residential units on 62 acres of undeveloped land on the south side of Souza Road. Fifty-seven of the units — approximately 25 percent of the total — are slated for low-to-moderate income households.

Last week’s presentation, the first step in the application process, allowed the developer to receive feedback from the planning board on the project’s conceptual plan. 

Attorney John O. Mancini, part of the team representing BCP Properties, said marketing efforts would target empty nesters who are downsizing, young professionals just starting their careers, and families with one or two young children. Units would have one, two, or three bedrooms.

“The goal of the applicant overall is to provide affordable housing,” Mancini said. Referencing the state’s Low-and-Moderate-Income Housing Act (GL 45-53), he told board members, “the idea is to open doors, not close doors, and to provide an opportunity to increase your housing stock.”

He described the design concept as unique since each rental unit will have the attributes of a single-family home and will be marketed to those “who want to live in a suburb, in a single-family, [and] don’t want to live in a garden-style apartment building or don’t want to live in the city, at a price that makes sense to them.”

Planning board feedback

Stu Hardy, planning board chairman, cited a number of requirements, including the need for a pro forma showing how many market rate units would be needed to make a profit, clear identification of all waivers and zoning relief needed, and details on the exterior architectural design as well as plans for pedestrian amenities such as sidewalks.

The project’s impact on the Osborn-Bennett Historic District along Main Road is a major concern, Hardy said.

“You are proposing a road right through that district. That’s problematic in my opinion.”

Other issues raised by the board included the projected impact on school enrollment, traffic flow, adequacy of emergency vehicle access, water and sewer capacity, and the potential for disruption to the property’s wetlands.

Concerns were also cited regarding the applicant’s plans to seek both a dimensional variance and special use permit at the same time. The last item, said board member Trish Hilton, was an “enormous ask” from a zoning perspective.

An audience member asked if a process was in place to evaluate the effect of the new proposal when combined with other residential developments planned for the neighborhood.

“How can we evaluate whether this area can support all three of those major housing projects?”

In response, Hardy said peer reviewers such as traffic and hydraulic engineers who will be hired by the town will take a “holistic view and look at the big picture, not just this project in isolation.”

The development, if it moves forward, would be in close proximity to Pocasset Reserve (previously known as Tiverton Heights), a recently approved development on the north side of Souza Road that calls for construction of 275 housing units, 25 percent of which would also be designated as low-to-moderate income housing.

Additionally, it would be located across the street from Souza Road Condominiums, a commercial development on Main and Souza Roads that will include more than 40 new housing units, a restaurant, and space for office and retail establishments