What services and businesses would residents like to see in Bay Spring, and where? 

How can the town make it easier to get around Bay Spring on foot, on bicycle, and in vehicles? 

How can the natural environment around Bay Spring be improved? 

How can flooding be mitigated? 

These are some of the questions town officials are hoping residents will help answer during a special Bay Spring block walk and public discussion on Saturday, April 29. 

Barrington is exploring options for amending zoning along the Bay Spring Avenue corridor, as Barrington’s Comprehensive Plan calls for action: “Further study is needed regarding . . . the potential to allow for a mix of small-scale, neighborhood-oriented uses and different types of housing in Bay Spring.” 

Town officials would like the corridor’s zoning to better reflect the neighborhood’s vision for the future — things that should stay the same and things that may change.

Local residents, business owners, and others who care about the Bay Spring corridor are invited to join a "block walk" and public discussion on the future of the area.

People should meet at the corner of Bay Spring Avenue and Washington Road at 1:45 p.m. for the block walk. The public discussion will take place at the Bay Spring Community Center, at 170 Narragansett Ave., from 2:30 to 4 p.m.  

People may park on the street at Sweetbriar, where permitted, or the rear parking lot at 60 Bay Spring Ave.

The block walk will offer people the chance to point out specific spots that folks either love and want to keep, or would want to see improved or changed. 

Everyone is then invited to the Bay Spring Community Center to discuss what they want the Bay Spring corridor to be like in the future. (Town officials may not have all the answers, but the community can help identify what more the town needs to research.)

“West Barrington, and Bay Spring in particular, is a vital part of our community," said Barrington Town Manager Jim Cunha. "There is great potential to enhance and develop this former industrial area into a vibrant mix of small-scale businesses, residential opportunities and recreation. We want to involve the entire Bay Spring community in planning for future of their neighborhood.” 

The first phase of this project will gather thoughts on the entire corridor, but will emphasize what sorts of uses should be allowed in the neighborhood business (NB) zoning district. 

The second phase will look at the corridor more broadly, and make recommendations for more flexible zoning to achieve the mix of uses desired by the town and residents while reducing the number of non-conforming uses and lots. 

"In short, the town wants to allow for the things the community wants to see in the corridor happen," stated a press release for the upcoming block walk and discussion.

This project was initiated by the town’s planning board, with input and assistance from local residents. The town has hired the Horsley Witten Group, a consulting team based in Providence, to assist with research, community outreach, and the redrafting of the zoning ordinance.

Have a question?

For additional information about the upcoming Bay Spring block walk and public discussion, contact town planner Phil Hervey at 247-1900 ext. 347 or email him at phervey@barrington.ri.gov. More information is also available at the project webpage, www.bayspringave.com