Town of Charlestown

The subcommittee meeting focused on the continued development of commercial and village design standards intended for adoption as an ordinance by the Town Council. Discussions centered on the coordination between the EIC's review of the Shannock Guidelines and the Libra document. Members debated whether to proceed with the Libra document, adopt a mix of the two documents, or focus on developing new recommendations for the Town Council to hire a consultant for ordinance drafting. Key points included addressing the impact of standards on smaller, "Mom and Pop" commercial projects, establishing if commercial standards should apply townwide to all new construction in commercial zones, and defining a threshold for when full standards should apply versus simpler guiding principles.

The committee meeting focused on the development of design guidelines for commercial properties in the TVD, Cross' Mills, and Shannock areas, intended to be adopted as an ordinance by the Town Council. The EIC provided feedback via a letter detailing prescriptive items, non-prescriptive items, and prohibited items for design standards. The committee discussed specific regulatory aspects, including materials, commercial building sizes, renovation sizes that would trigger standards, and the reviewing entity based on square footage. Key points included ensuring guidelines do not unduly burden existing or new businesses with excessive cost or restrict necessary variety and flexibility in aesthetics. It was decided that both the Planning Commission and the EIC would continue to meet separately to develop proposed next steps to move toward a final plan acceptable to the Town Council.

Key discussions included the next steps for moving the Parks and Recreation Office to Ninigret Park, which is scheduled for the next agenda. The Commission reviewed and approved several event applications for Ninigret Park and Charlestown Town Beach, including the Applumpkin Children's Fall Festival, RICAN Polar Plunge, Charlestown Chamber of Commerce 41st Annual Seafood Festival, Greenpower Electric Car Performance Race, and the Seaside Classic Soccer Tournament, with fee structures being a point of discussion for some events. New business involved a presentation on safety and the proposal for constructing an emergency access road at Ninigret Park, which the Commission voted to support via a letter to the Town Council. Discussions were also held regarding the suggestion for deposits on large event applications and a review of the fee structure for the following month. Old business updates covered a sanctioned event for RICAN and a Santa Paws event scheduled for the Ninigret Dog Park.

The meeting focused on reviewing Charter Sections C-1 through C-209 using a three-category system: Do not revise, Revise but send to the Solicitor for rewording, or Defer to the Town Solicitor for an opinion. The Committee discussed proposals from the Town Clerk regarding amendments to Article IX, Ordinances (§C-33) concerning advertising fees for Zoning Ordinance amendments, and Article VI, Organization and Election (§C-24) concerning filling Council vacancies, ultimately deciding to leave the vacancy process as written. Additionally, the Committee received and reviewed drafted ballot questions from the Town Solicitor resulting from previous analysis, many of which were scrivener's errors or minor clarifications related to purchasing thresholds. Finally, the Committee approved the 2026 Annual Meeting Calendar, scheduling monthly meetings through April.

The meeting addressed several key operational and planning aspects for the 250th celebration. Discussion included volunteer needs for the New Year's Eve Bonfire booth, applying for state grants of $1,000 to fund Commemorative Coins, and updates on the production of Commemorative Coins. A detailed plan for a Family Day event featuring Founding Fathers, including seeking a fife and drum corps or patriotic band and developing related children's crafts, was reviewed. Progress on a children's play was also reported. Subcommittee updates confirmed that the Cross Mills Fire Station will be open during the May Bike Ride to provide water and restroom access. New business involved initiating an inquiry into the current balance of the 250th account.