Minutes 2026-04-16

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
1

ZBR MINUTES REGULAR MEETING APRIL 16, 2026

MEMBERS PRESENT: Vice Chairman Benjamin Furriel, Andrew Kelly, Paul Laurienzo, and
Paul Maleck – Alternate 2.

MEMBERS ABSENT: Chairman Eric Raposa, Secretary Sue Horwitz, and Marco Dimattino –
Alternate 1.

OTHERS PRESENT: Aaron Lindo, Assistant Town Planner; Kristen Black, Planning
Technician; Heather E. Raposa, Recording Secretary; and Joseph Larisa, Town Solicitor

Vice Chair Furriel called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers. Vice
Chair Furriel requested audience patience while waiting for a quorum. Quorum met at 7:02 p.m.,
meeting was then called to order and roll call taken.

I. ROLL CALL: See Members present/absent above.

II. MINUTES

a. MOTION: Mr. Maleck made a motion to approve the March 19, 2026, Zoning
Board Minutes as written; seconded by Mr. Kelly.

b. VOTE: 4-0 (Vice Chair Benjamin Furriel: YES, Paul Laurienzo: YES, Andrew
Kelly: YES, and Paul Maleck: YES).

Mr. Maleck asked a follow-up question from the March meeting minutes. On page
7, there were conditions in the motion that the lots could not be sold separately, and
a deed restriction would be implemented to do this. Mr. Maleck asked if any
evidence of this happening had been provided by that applicant. Ms. Raposa stated
that she was unaware of any evidence being received for this.

III. NEW BUSINESS

Public Notice – Zoning Board Review
a. Jared Minick (applicant and owner) for property located at 244 Turnpike
Avenue; being Tax Assessor's Map 30 Lot 17C (Zoned Residential, R-20). The
Applicant seeks a Dimensional Variance to construct an extension to a pool
deck located in the side setback (Article IV, Section B).

Jared Minick, 244 Turnpike Avenue, wants to build a 10’ x 20’ deck around his
pool. The current deck touches the pool for about 3 feet, and this additional deck

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
2

will allow for him to have extra reach around for the pool. He cannot put the deck
on the north side of the pool because of his septic and leech field.

Mr. Maleck asked what the height of the fence was and if the extra decking was for
safety. Mr. Minick replied the fence was 6 feet and he was adding the extra decking
for safety. Mr. Maleck then asked if Mr. Minick had spoken with any of the
neighbors about his proposal. Mr. Minick replied he had and there were no
concerns.

Vice Chair Furriel opened public comment.

Vice Chair Furriel closed public comment.

Vice Chair Furriel commented that Mr. Minick already a pool and a deck, this
additional decking will not produce any more noise or visual pollution or anything
like that. Whatever is going on with the pool now will continue. He does not see
this proposal as detrimental to the neighborhood, and it enables the applicant to
have full use and enjoyment of this otherwise permitted accessory use.

MOTION: Mr. Kelly made a motion to approve the 10’ dimensional variance.
There is no reasonable alternative way to enjoy the property. Hardship is due to a
unique characteristic of the property and the position of the septic system. The
hardship is not the result of prior actions by the applicant. Granting the variance
does not alter the general characteristics of the surrounding area. The relief is the
least necessary and denial would cause more than a mere inconvenience. Seconded
by Mr. Maleck.

VOTE: 4-0 (Vice Chair Benjamin Furriel: YES, Paul Laurienzo: YES, Andrew
Kelly: YES, and Paul Maleck: YES).

b. Alfred Sousa (applicant and owner) for property located at 0 Bay View Avenue
(Prudence Island); being Tax Assessor's Map 84 Lot 49 (Zoned Residential, R-
20). The Applicant seeks a Dimensional Variance to construct a new dwelling
on a lot not fronting on a public street (Article III, Section D2).

Alfred Sousa, 51 King Road, Tiverton, would like to build a small house on his
property, but the road to get there is undeveloped, unpaved, and not recognized by
the town. The state approved a septic system for this lot and the house he wants to
build meets all the setbacks.

Vice Chair Furriel asked if Mr. Sousa intends to reside at that location. Mr. Sousa
replied it is undisclosed at this time. Vice Chair Furriel asked what length of the
paper road Mr. Sousa will be improving. Mr. Sousa replied roughly 500 feet, and it
is the minimum distance from that property. Vice Chair Furriel is concerned about

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
3

the quality of the road that will be built given that the quality of that road will be
potentially used by emergency vehicles, gas or oil trucks, amazon, and others.
Normally in a development, if a paper road is being developed, the Planning Board
would weigh in on the specifications for the road to ensure that the road was
adequately designed and constructed. Mr. Sousa replied he had approached the
Planning Board, and they referred him to the Fire Department, and the Fire
Department gave him a letter saying that as long as they had an 18-foot width, and
accessibility for a fire truck, they were fine with it. Vice Chair Furriel asked if the
Fire Department was not requiring a particular surface type or anything like that.
Mr. Sousa replied no, like most roads on Prudence Island, they are a gravel base,
which he plans to use. Vice Chair Furriel then asked if Mr. Sousa would be
responsible for snow removal. Mr. Sousa replied yes.

Mr. Laurienzo asked if they had seen the letter from the Fire Department. Mr. Sousa
replied he could produce the letter for the Board.

Vice Chair Furriel commented that the staff report suggests Mr. Sousa work with
the Fire Department to complete the road. He added that a condition could be that
the road be completed before building can begin. He suggested this condition
because when construction begins, people are on the site at any time, emergency
services could be required and therefore emergency vehicle access will be necessary
when construction starts rather than when construction is over.

Mr. Maleck commented that the staff report included a long history of how the land
was transferred since 1929. He asked Mr. Sousa if he was told the lot was buildable
when he purchased the land. Mr. Sousa replied yes. Mr. Maleck then asked if Mr.
Sousa envisioned what he would do for access to the buildable lot. Mr. Sousa
replied to improve the paper road by clearing it and graveling it. Mr. Maleck asked
what the road right now is primarily. Mr. Sousa replied it is vegetated with brush
and mature trees. Mr. Maleck asked if Mr. Sousa was familiar with any of the
letters received by the Board in opposition to the proposal. Mr. Sousa is familiar.

Mr. Maleck commented that the lack of road engineering and just reliance upon the
Fire Department saying to make the road 18’ wide, without the Planning Board
digging deeper is concerning to him. Seems to him that the Board must concern
themselves with the opposition that says the lack of an engineered road could relate
and cause severe impact of water runoff, drainage issues, and flooding. He asked
Mr. Sousa how he would address that. Mr. Sousa replied he would follow the
protocol that the town required him to do. Mr. Maleck asked if Mr. Sousa was
concerned with runoff or flooding on the proposed improved paper road. Mr. Sousa
replied he would use a non-permeable surface. He would address it with a material
geotextile fabric underneath. The fabric would be compressed, the road surface
would be dense, yet thick in aggregate. The road would not be pavement, or

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
4

recycled asphalt. It would be natural material, which most of the roads on Prudence
Island are.

Mr. Maleck asked about the topography. Does the topography lend itself to flooding
and water damage or to the contrary? Mr. Sousa replied there is a grade from
Narragansett up to Bayview and that could be easily addressed by just a simple
swale on either side of the road or a culvert at the bottom of the road if it is needed.
Mr. Sousa added that he has built access roads before in other places, Tiverton, and
off grid in Maine.

Vice Chair Furriel asked Mr. Lindo who would ensure that the road is being built to
some standard, particularly given that as of now, we do not have any engineering
drawings of the road. Mr. Lindo replied he suggested in the condition, the
Department of Public Works have someone out there (as they know the standards of
the roads) and the Fire Department out there (as they would know the standards of
the NFPA) to look at the road.

Mr. Laurienzo made the comment that there should also be engineering drawings
for the road that address the grade changes, if any, the permeability, and the
drainage.

Mr. Kelly commented that he thinks the reason that the Planning Board is absent is
because the town is not going to take over this road. It is not built to standards of
the Town, it is not a Town Road, not plowed by the Town or serviced by the Town.
He added that he thinks the recommendation from the Portsmouth Planning
Department to work with DPW and Fire for the access road is adequate.
Engineering being reviewed by nobody does not serve any purpose.

Mr. Sousa commented that he understands the concerns of the road and understands
there is a gap between Portsmouth and Prudence Island. But it is not the Board’s
place to deal with that administratively on his case. He will build a road that will
not erode, will not flood, and will do his best to contain runoff.

Vice Chair Furriel commented that the Board would be accepting a 500-foot
roadway that will not be a private road, it will still be a public access. He is
struggling with how to back up this best effort from Mr. Sousa, to build a road that
will not erode, flood, and contain runoff, with either outside engineering or outside
review.

Mr. Sousa commented there have been 450 houses on Prudence that have all come
through the Zoning Board and it does not seem right to start requiring him to do
somethings differently. Vice Chair Furriel replied, during his time on the Board, he
has seen homes on Prudence Island where the paper road access was a little more
than a driveway. In his experience, Mr. Sousa’s application is longer, more

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
5

intrusive, borders more abutter properties, each of which now have a current
condition that they are going to see changed.

Vice Chair Furriel asked whether it would be reasonable to require Mr. Sousa to
retain an engineering company to produce plans for the road and sign off on them.
Mr. Lindo replied he thought it would be reasonable based on the questions on
drainage, and especially the 500-foot length of road/driveway. He has seen shorter
driveways with engineered plans from private homeowners. Vice Chair Furriel then
asked if it would be reasonable for Mr. Sousa to produce those plans and then come
back to the Zoning Board with that data. Mr. Lindo replied that it could be done
administratively because he needs a building permit and that review could be done
at that time.

Attorney Larisa commented on a couple of legal issues. He asked if any other
access roads on Prudence Island had engineering plans as a requirement of their
construction. Mr. Lindo replied he does not know, he does not know when the last
road or roadway was constructed on the Island. Normally when this is done, it is
small and trivial, and this is more than that. Attorney Larisa’s second comment was
that he wants to make sure the Town does not approve the engineering plans. The
Board can require stamped engineer plans, but the Town will not approve them, just
reply on the professional plans. Attorney Larisa then asked Mr. Sousa if he would
consent to providing those engineering plans.

Mr. Sousa replied he is going to do a good job putting the road in and if there is a
problem he will address it. He added that he thinks it is unreasonable to consider the
road be finished before he starts the project. He will have a series of heavy trucks
and equipment coming in and that is just going to crush the road. Vice Chair Furriel
replied he is not experienced in construction but his rational for that condition was
as soon as those heavy trucks start driving over that road, or as soon as an initial
clearing is done, there is now an erosion problem, and a runoff problem that is
uncontained.

Mr. Sousa commented that his contention is that the engineering plans have not
been required before, and this is the first time that the Board is asking for it. He
stated that no one can give him an example where the Board has asked someone to
have engineering for a road that the Town is not going to take care of.

Mr. Laurienzo commented that in the past, the roads he has seen have been already
semi-improved, there was already a path that existed. This paper road improvement
would be taking vacant land and making a 500-foot road, which is going to affect
neighbors. To him, that is where the difference is for this paper road improvement
versus the ones the Board has seen in the past.

Vice Chair Furriel opened public comment.

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
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Erica James and Malick Ghachem, 020 Merrill Lane, Prudence, had some concerns.
They are not direct abutters, but their property abuts Bay View Avenue. They have
lived in their home for about 5 years and there is an awful lot of wildlife in the
paper road. Additionally, there are a lot of mature trees in the paper road, which
protect their house from excess wind, especially in the winter. They have not had
cordial conversations with Mr. Sousa about his intentions to build on his lot, not
sure they can trust the word of Mr. Sousa that he will put the neighborhood’s best
interests at heart. They are not against the development of the lot; they just want to
make sure there is minimal impact on the neighborhood. They are also wondering
where the 500-foot road is going to go, where it is going to start, there has not been
a lot of information on this aspect of the road. They are also concerned because in
the winter and spring, this area is almost like wetlands. Because of how wet it is,
this proposed road could have potential adverse impacts not only on Jame’s and
Ghachem’s backyard, but also on others in the neighborhood as well. Mr. Ghachem
added that they do not dispute Mr. Sousa’s easement rights to access his property,
but Rhode Island law does not permit a property owner to dedicate private land,
undeveloped paper roads, as public access roads. His easement right to access his
property might involve a footpath, involve a minimally invasive driveway of some
kind but not a public road.

Vice Chair Furriel asked Mr. Ghachem and Ms. James what they consider an
acceptable form of access to the lot. Ms. James replied she hoped they could buy
the land and give it to the Prudence Island Conservancy so that it can remain
unspoiled in perpetuity. Mr. Ghachem replied there is a right to develop this
property, under the easement rights, a right to at least a footpath, and possibly a
minimally invasive driveway. There was an issue of whether Mr. Sousa could put
the septic in, there was a variance for that, but that had expired, that would need to
be redone. Mr. Ghachem added that this is hard to treat this as just a variance to
construct or place a house on this particular lot because of the nature of the lot.
Additionally, he believes that Mr. Sousa was aware of the locked nature of this lot,
the issues with the water in the area, and so forth.

Bruna Bucacci, 016 Narragansett Avenue, Prudence, has a couple of concerns. She
has been living on Narragansett Avenue since 1994 and has had water issues since
moving there. She had to build a 6-foot trench all around her home to avoid the
damage that the water runoff was causing on the road. She is surprised Mr. Sousa’s
lot was even able to be sold without having access to a road. She is concerned about
the potential runoff from the paper road improvements. She lives on Narragansett
Avenue which is a Town owned road. She has complained about that road for years,
and the Town has done nothing. Since the Town is not approving of the road Mr.
Sousa is putting in, who would Ms. Bucacci go to if there is a problem from that
road. She also wanted to know where the proposed road is going to start from. Mr.
Sousa says he is going to take care of the road, Ms. Bucacci appreciates that, but if

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
7

there is any damage, and the home eventually gets sold to someone else, Ms.
Bucacci asked who she goes to when there are problems, not the Town, because the
Town is not taking care of the road.

Ray Jenness, 035 Third Street, Chair of the Prudence Conservancy, the
Conservancy did not submit anything for or against this particular proposal. They
were unaware of it until very recently. The Conservancy owns a lot of the lots in
this area, many of which are wet throughout the year.

Daniela Craven, 07 Longview Avenue, has concerns with this proposal. She
personally tried to resolve this matter with Fred in many ways. The proposed road
for this project is Bayview Avenue, which was a never before paper-plotted access
path that would now be open to vehicles. This access road creates a huge headache
and hardship for Ms. Craven, her farm, and her elderly neighbor who lives at 050
Merrill.

Ms. Craven is a farmer who is actively engaged in a 5-year grant-funded plan with
the USDA’s, NRCS, Nature Conservancy as well as Eastern Rhode Island
Conservation District, ERICD. She owns over 420 feet of the abutting property to
the west side of Bay View Avenue and lots on the east side of Bay View Avenue as
well. She does not think this paper access way should ever become anything more
than a mapped walking or animal access path that someone drew down in 1929, a
time when vehicles were not readily in the picture.

Ms. Craven is additionally concerned with the water runoff potential from the
access road. As Ms. Bucacci spoke to, others in the neighborhood have had to fix
their homes. They have spent thousands between French drains, swales, sub-pumps,
and crushed stone. Asked the Board to consider the state’s Rhody Resilience Plan,
which was just revised. The plan calls for high alert to water runoff.

Ms. Craven disagrees with the Staff Report that this project would not alter the
character of the neighborhood. Placing a public access road will ruin the charm of
this area. Kids ride bikes without concern, and animals run happily and play in the
paper road. Additionally, natural habitats would be removed to place dirt, tar, and
whatever substrate Mr. Sousa plans to use.

Ms. Craven disagrees with the Staff Report’s opinion which states that there is
strong precedent for approval, given the Board granted the same relief in 2009. The
2009 paperwork states all over it that it is null and void if not used within one year;
that was 15 years ago. The Board was presented with very different facts, and many
variables have changed since 2009. Landowners have changed, land designations
have changed, septic rules have changed, water quality concerns have changed, well
usages have changed, water availability has changed, and water runoff concerns
have changed.

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
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This proposal poses grave concern to Ms. Craven’s farm, crops, and grant-funded
activities. She has highly erodible land, and she is working with agencies to address
the erodible land. If all of this vegetation is removed, the erosion control she is
putting in will not be able to sustain that withdrawal of material, and her grant-
funded hedgerows and 30 by 80 high tunnel will end up washed out. Additionally,
the removal of all that greenery could result in complaints about the future of her
animals making noise. She added that she wanted to remind the Board that
Portsmouth is a right-to-farm community.

Ms. Craven stated that this proposal also misaligns with Portsmouth’s intention to
protect farmland. Asked the Board to consider how this would align with the
purview to protect agricultural heritage and preserve farmland. Her lots have been
flagged by the USDA as having prime farmland soil and important farmland soils to
protect. Ms. Craven had asked Mr. Sousa to engage in mediation, free of charge
with the Rhode Island Agricultural Center for Mediation and Collaboration, he did
not respond.

Ms. Craven thinks the proposal is a terrible precedent and is uncertain if it falls in
line with Portsmouth’s Strategic Town Plan. This is not granting a neighborhood
being opened up, this is granting access to one single lot.

Ms. Craven has concerns with the DEM approved septic plans. The PIT test, which
measures the water, was completed in 2008. Typically PIT tests need to be done
within 2 to 5 years, this was 15 years ago. 2 to 5 is if there has not been substantial
charge or development, which there has been. There have been entire houses
developed with multiple lots since 2008 in this area. Ms. Craven has a perk in the
ground on her property, about 40 feet. There is standing water in there. She is
concerned that her well will be polluted. A well that she is in talks with the
Prudence Island Water Department about using it for public drinking water because
Prudence Island is out of water. The septic plan does not account for this, it has a
100-foot setback, but for public wells, it needs to have a 200-foot setback. She
understands that she does not have a public well at this moment, but she is
investigating this. If the Board approved the dimensional variance, they would be
removing a possible viable public water source for the Island.

Ms. Craven has a few different requests. At the end of the day, she asks the Board
to deny the variance, keeping the access land and accessway only accessible by
foot, preserving the island and the neighborhood, protecting the rights of the
abutters and adjacent landowners, and protecting agricultural land. At a bare
minimum, she asked the Board to render a continuance. By delaying, she will have
time to explore the potential public well, afford the Board time to speak with DEM
or NRCS to understand the designation of important farm soil and decide how this
aligns with Portsmouth’s protection of farmland, to consider how this fits into the

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
9

Rhody Resiliency Plan, consider the precedent this sets and understand how this
falls into the Town’s Comprehensive Plan for Prudence Island, and it allows them
time to properly explore the legal opinions on this non-public access way.

Vice Chair Furriel asked what the size of the lot is. Mr. Lindo replied .133 acres.
Vice Chair Furriel then asked how much space totally would be cleared for the
paper road. 500 x 18 is 9000’. He is trying to figure out what the total impact of this
development is. Typically, we would say a .133-acre lot is going to get a house, but
with this project we are talking about a .133-acre lot and some other piece of land
that is going to be cleared.

Mr. Laurienzo commented that it has not been overly clear to him what
improvements Mr. Sousa would be making to the paper streets, and where exactly
they would be. There were no submitted drawings for that access road. Mr. Sousa
replied the Fire Department asked for an 18-foot-wide road through the paper roads.
He can provide a sketch as to what he is proposing, and he has no problems leaving
as many trees as possible.

Vice Chair Furriel commented that for him he finds it difficult to vote to approve
this application based on the information provided. He asked Mr. Sousa whether he
would like a continuance, withdraw the application, or have the Board vote based
on what they had that night. Mr. Sousa asked for a continuance.

MOTION: Mr. Kelly made a motion to continue this application to the May 21,
2026, Zoning Board of Review Meeting.

Motion withdrawn as public comment still open.

Erica James, 020 Merrill, commented that practically speaking, if there is any
possibility that it is unlawful to build a road, it does not make sense to her to ask
Mr. Sousa to spend all the money on an engineering report on a road. Additionally,
she does not understand the issue of Roberta Avenue and why a road could not
come from Roberta if an accessway must go through at all, but that would be the
shortest route.

Discussion on public vs private for this road.

MOTION: Mr. Kelly made a motion that at the request of the petitioner, he moves
to continue this application to the May 21, 2026, Zoning Board of Review Meeting.
Seconded by Mr. Laurienzo.

Mr. Maleck commented that he wished to amend the motion to include the
engineering plans be submitted to the Board addressing the concerns of the
neighborhood.

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
10

VOTE TO AMEND: 4-0 (Vice Chair Benjamin Furriel: YES, Paul Laurienzo:
YES, Andrew Kelly: YES, and Paul Maleck: YES).

MOTION AMENDED: Mr. Maleck made an amended motion that this application
be continued to the May 21, 2026, Zoning Board of Review Meeting. With the
condition that the Applicant submit through the Board plans from engineering
which address: what he wants to do with the road, how he will go about it, and what
factors should be considered by the Board when addressing the neighborhood and
the objections that were raised during the meeting. Seconded by Mr. Kelly.

VOTE ON AMENDED MOTION: 4-0 (Vice Chair Benjamin Furriel: YES, Paul
Laurienzo: YES, Andrew Kelly: YES, and Paul Maleck: YES).

Meeting break at 9:00 p.m.

Meeting resumed at 9:06 p.m.

c. Connor Keating (applicant and owner) for property located at 35 Island
Avenue; being Tax Assessor's Map 21 Lot 3 (Zoned Residential, R-10). The
Applicant seeks a Dimensional Variance to construct a carport in the side
setback (Article IV, Section B).

Connor Keating, 35 Island Avenue, was requesting a zoning variance from 7’ for
½’ on the side yard setback to build a car port over his driveway. Due to the
closeness of the lots, he thought he could only put the car port on the right side.

Mr. Maleck asked Mr. Keating if he had checked with any of the neighbors about
this proposal. Mr. Keating replied that he spoke with his next-door neighbors who
would be impacted. He told them there would be no change to the current
configuration, there is currently a fence on the property line, he would rip up the
fence and instead have the car port. He gave them a letter of support to sign, but he
never got it back, and they did not express any negative or positive feedback on the
proposal.

Vice Chair Furriel asked if the car port will be enclosed. Mr. Keating replied no, it
is an open-air car port, attached to the house with two vertical supports.

Vice Chair Furriel opened public comment.

Tyree and Zara Brockman, 31 Island Avenue, abutters, have concerns with this
proposal. There is not a lot of space in Island Park, and the Brockman’s and
Keatings lots are very close. Recently, they had their septic redone and since the
lots are so close, they struggled to find someone who had small enough equipment
to get into their lot. If the car port goes in, now there is a permanent structure

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
11

instead of a removable fence on the property line. Brockman’s are also concerned
that if Mr. Keating wishes to sell the property, the next homeowners could turn the
car port into a garage. The lots are very small, and to be encroached on more, the
Brockman’s feel their property value will go down. The Brockman’s also think Mr.
Keating could put the car port in the front or further in the back on the side, they do
not have any issues with the car port being in those locations.

Discussion on whether the fence and proposed car port is on the Keatings vs.
Brockman’s property.

Mr. Maleck asked Mr. Keating to reply to the comments brought up by the
Brockman’s. Mr. Keating was shocked by the comments, he would have liked the
Brockman’s to have talked to him about their concerns. In regard to moving the car
port to the front yard or further back, he replied aesthetically it would not look good
in the front, and it would be difficult to place it in the back because of the septic
system, but it could be possible but expensive. Mr. Maleck then asked if there were
any other car ports in the neighborhood. Mr. Keating replied no but there is one
garage near him.

Mr. Laurienzo made a comment that he thinks the car port could be moved into the
back but be free standing. Mr. Keating replied he would lose a lot of what is
currently in his backyard if he did that.

Vice Chair Furriel commented that being able to cover your car helps you access it
easier when it is snowing, raining, things like that. Car ports are common
throughout the town, if not in this neighborhood. Being open on three sides is less
intrusive than a garage. The proposed placement is less intrusive visually than
moving it in the front, and less of a cost burden on the homeowner than moving it in
the back.

Mr. Kelly commented that he grew up in Island Park and has lived there almost his
entire life. He understands that most of the houses in that neighborhood were built
as summer cottages. He would guess that less than 10% of the houses there have
garages or covered spaces for cars. He added that they do not have to approve
something going a foot off the property line and way into the setback because it is
nice to not get wet from the snow and rain.

Vice Chair Furriel closed public comment.

MOTION: Mr. Laurienzo made a motion to deny the dimensional variance. The
proposal does not conform with the neighborhood, does not fit the quality of the
space in that area, and it is very close to the property line. Seconded by Mr. Maleck.

Town of Portsmouth
Zoning Board of Review
2200 East Main Road/Portsmouth, Rhode Island 02871
www.portsmouthri.gov
12

VOTE: 3-1 (Vice Chair Benjamin Furriel: NO, Paul Laurienzo: YES, Andrew
Kelly: YES, and Paul Maleck: YES).

ZBR BUSINESS

a. Motion to authorize the Zoning Administrator to sign all Zoning Board
decisions on behalf of the Board.

Mr. Laurienzo asked who signs the decisions now. Vice Chair Furriel replied, the
secretary, Sue Horwtiz.

Mr. Lindo commented that when the decisions are drafted, he would review them,
sign them, and then he would disperse them for a couple of days. If the Board had
any comments on them, they could make them, and then the decisions would get
recorded. This eliminated the need to reach out to Ms. Horwitz to meet somewhere
during the week for her to sign them. This helps expedite the process on getting the
decisions recorded.

MOTION: Mr. Kelly made a motion to authorize the Zoning Administrator to sign
all Zoning Board decisions on behalf of the Board. Seconded by Mr. Laurienzo.

Mr. Maleck asked how many days is a couple of days for the Board to review the
decisions before they would be recorded. Mr. Lindo asked how many days the
Board would like to review. He asked if a week for reasonable, 5 Business Days.

Mr. Kelly withdrew his previous motion.

MOTION: Mr. Kelly made a motion to authorize the Zoning Administrator to sign
all Zoning Board decisions on behalf of the Board after a five-business day review
period. Seconded by Mr. Maleck.

VOTE: 4-0 (Vice Chair Benjamin Furriel: YES, Paul Laurienzo: YES, Andrew
Kelly: YES, and Paul Maleck: YES).

Motion to adjourn made by Mr. Kelly; seconded by Mr. Maleck.

Meeting adjourned at 9:36 p.m.

Respectfully submitted by:
Heather E. Raposa