This letter has been updated 7/19/15 by the author

To the editor:

Recently the Tiverton Planning Board took it upon themselves to illicitly rewrite entire sections of our Community Plan with so-called "amendments" that harmfully alter our Community and Zoning Plan to conform with developer Carpionato's demands.

It's an action which will also allow further mega-development and which clearly violates part of Chapter 45-22.2 of the "Rhode Island Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Act," which seeks to "avoid conflicting requirements and reactive land use regulations and decisions."

This whole entire process has been "reactive" and contains many "conflicting requirements."

Well, our Planning Board over-stepped it's bounds in a big way. By gutting our Community Plan to comply with Carpionato they have done the exact opposite of what they were appointed for.

Our Town Council should have put a stop to this long before it reached this point! What gives?

On July 7, as I stood before the Tiverton Town Council and pleaded with them not to destroy Tiverton's Comprehensive Community Plan in favor of a mega-mall, I realized that they have also abandoned Tiverton in favor of the Carpionato Group.

Past developments that have been denied have offered Tiverton 3 to 5 acres for a fit use. One developer even offered to pay for a new Library. None tried to alter our Community Plan. But Carpionato offers us absolutely nothing and we bend over backwards for them by ruining our Community Plan and blowing our zoning wide-open?

Recently we had the Financial Town Referendum. The Budget Commitees budget lost to one proposed by a Tiverton resident. A disappointed Councilman, Brett Pelletier, observed that "a very small group can hijack the budget process."

But Tiverton residents who voted had the final say on the budget, not "a very small group."

Now, let's take that same quote from Councilman Pelletier and substitute "planning" for "budget," and it would read "a very small group can hijack the planning process."

That rings a lot truer. In this case, the "very small group" would be the eight members of the Tiverton Planning Board. No public vote — just 8 people to decide what they (not Tiverton) wanted to happen.

Close to 600 people (most were residents) attended the Town Council hearing. About 80 residents spoke against the Community Plan changes, 2 spoke in favor of them. A petition signed by 1,560 Tiverton residents opposing the proposed mega-mall and Community Plan changes was presented to our Council. Seperately, signatures from the owners of 36 Tiverton businesses opposing the mega-mall were also presented.

Now the proposed changes sit in front of the seven members of our Town Council, awaiting final approval. No public vote, just seven people to decide. How can that be?

Because the whole Comprehensive Community Plan process has been hijacked by "a very small group,'" that's how!

Ralph G. Doliber

Tiverton