Cranston has a new president and chairman of its Planning Commission. Steve Frias, who used to hold one of the top positions in the Rhode Island Republican Party as its national committeeman …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
|
Cranston has a new president and chairman of its Planning Commission. Steve Frias, who used to hold one of the top positions in the Rhode Island Republican Party as its national committeeman recently, stepped into the role earlier this month.
After not seeking reelection last year, he has returned to public service in a new capacity.
In the beginning, Frias said, he didn’t have much interest in land-use issues, although he was familiar with them and had some understanding through his Cranston historical research into zoning.
In 2021, he said former City Councilman Christopher Paplauskas told him about the concern that the city would lose an exemption from the Affordable Housing Comprehensive permit under state law and that the comprehensive plan was significantly out of date.
So Frias said he agreed to serve on the Planning Commission to address those two issues, which he said was to make sure policies were adopted so the city would not lose its exemption and to build a comprehensive plan that kept Cranston primarily a suburban community.
“In 1924 Cranston first adopted zoning to ensure that Cranston remained, as Mayor Arthur Rhodes declared, a ‘City of Homes,’ Frias said. “I believe in that vision. A century ago, Cranston was suburb. Today, Cranston is still a suburb. I will do my best to keep Cranston a suburb in the future.”
For that reason, Frias decided to stay on the commission since his appointment in December 2021 and went on to become the president and chairman to see through the completion of the plan.
On Jan. 7, Frias succeeded Michael Smith, who Frias said was the longest-serving president and chairman of the commission.
Since the start, Frias says that the role so far has been interesting.
“The planning director is leaving, and so it's a major transition, getting up to speed on what's going on, helping oversee the Planning Department and moving it forward in a time when we're in flux on who's the director,” Frias said. “So, it's been a transition, but a welcome challenge.”
In addition to those goals, Frias said he also looks forward to developing the department and getting more involved.
“I'm looking forward to seeing the Planning Department operate in a way where the concerns are residents are clearly taken into account and that the commissioners themselves have more involvement in how the Planning Department operates and works.”
Frias says that although the city is primarily suburban, Cranston has a special quality that he wishes to keep.
“It has a mixture of urban, suburban and rural characteristics, and provides a variety of lifestyle choices for its residents. I want to maintain that unique quality of Cranston.”
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here