EDITORIAL

Commission should be commended

Posted

Nearly two years ago, during the review process for the planned Topgolf facility on Sockanosset Cross Road, we wrote in this space in agreement with concerns raised over one of the Planning Commission’s hearings on the project.

We specifically took issue with the timing of the discussion, which began after 11 p.m. due to a lengthy review involving another matter before the body.

Our editorial then read: “We urge officials in all our communities to take steps to ensure the scheduling and timing of public meetings and hearings is done in the spirit of openness and accessibility.”

We write now to commend the Planning Commission and the Planning Department’s staff for their handling of last week’s hearing on a zoning change sought as part of the proposed Cranston Crossing development, which would be anchored by a Costco wholesale club. In our view, the proceedings were a model of how local officials can embrace that “spirit of openness and accessibility” even while facing unprecedented challenges.

Observers of the local scene are no doubt well acquainted with what is being proposed at the current Mulligan’s Island Golf & Entertainment property. They know, too, the strong opposition the plan has drawn from many elected leaders and members of the community.

After an initial flurry of attention over the summer, delays in the hearing process led to a period of relative quiet surrounding the project – plenty of time for opponents and supporters alike to prepare their cases once the proceedings got underway.

Typically, that would have led to an overflow crowd at Council Chambers at City Hall, or perhaps a packed auditorium at Cranston High School East. But with the pandemic forcing municipal meetings to go virtual, it led instead to a Zoom meeting that drew roughly 125 participants at the peak.

The manner in which the commission and staff conducted the hearing – which ran roughly five hours – was truly fair and open. All participants who wished were afforded the opportunity to express their views, while representatives of both the developer and a citizens’ group opposed to the plan were given the chance to make their respective cases in a balanced, substantive way.

Wisely, the commission opted to continue its own deliberations and vote until a week later. That both afforded officials the chance to digest an enormous amount of information and ensured their vitally important recommendation was not made at an hour that would preclude public observation.

We also wish to applaud planning staff for their work to make documents and comments related to Cranston Crossing and other projects easily available through the city’s website, www.cranstonri.gov.

Local government can sometimes seem opaque, unwelcoming, even intimidating to citizens who are not active participants in the process. The degree of transparency and accessibility demonstrated during this latest process, in our view, goes a long way toward eliminating barriers and building public trust.

commission, hearing

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