A development plan for the monastery property on Watson Avenue is heading back to the Barrington Planning Board. 

The Board earlier recommended the plan, but before it could earn the approval of the Town Council, Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey made some slight alterations to it. 

Hervey called for fewer single-family house lots (five instead of six) and more cottage units (14 instead of 10-to-12). Hervey’s version of the plan went before the Barrington Town Council at its Sept. 11 meeting, and after a lengthy discussion, Council members voted 4-0 to send the plan back to the Planning Board for further review. 

Council members also requested that the plans include an increased buffer space with the homes north of the property, with the stipulation that the change not reduce the number of affordable housing units included in the proposal. 

Council member Rob Humm said he was thrilled that the town has reached this point in the process, adding that there is still an opportunity for some tinkering. Humm said he liked the inclusion of the open space (a little less than two acres of open space is included in the plan), and that the project would be economically feasible. 

Humm also had some questions he hoped the Planning Board would help answer. 

He asked if the cottage court portion of the plan was the best use for that part of the land, or would it be better to make it into more single-family house lots. He said the open space portion of the property is likely the most valuable part of the parcel (it is located toward the south of the seven acre property and overlooks Narragansett Bay) and wondered if it would be wise to switch that area with the land currently designated for single-family house lots. 

Humm also wanted to know if garages would be considered for the cottage court neighborhood, and asked if the town was interested in selling the single-family lots in stages. 

Braxton Cloutier said some residents feel the process has been rushed and that some voices are being ignored. But, he added, the Council is listening and is committed to “moving forward together.”

Council President Carl Kustell addressed concerns about who would maintain the open space portion of the property — a homeowners association or the Barrington Department of Public Works. Either way, Kustell said, the area would be open to the general public and not just the people who live there. Kustell said Hervey’s version of the plan was good and emphasized home ownership. 

Hervey said a significant number of the cottages would be age-restricted for people 55-and-older. 

Residents’ comments

A few Barrington residents shared their thoughts about the plan during the public comment portion of the discussion. 

Paige Barbour said the general consensus was that the plan for the monastery property was going in the right direction. Barbour also said 14 cottages seemed like too many. She said more work was needed on the pocket neighborhood, snow removal for seniors, and sidewalks on the property. 

Barbour said the cottage courts seemed too densely situated and asked whether that portion of the plan fit the needs of Barrington’s seniors. 

Mary Grenier had concerns about the possible demolition of the former monastery building. Specifically, she was worried about the asbestos in the building. Grenier said town officials needed to hire the best company for asbestos removal to ensure it was done properly. She also mentioned the recent demolition of the BP gas station on County Road and asked if there had been asbestos in that building and whether it was properly contained and removed. 

Blaise Rein revisited the 2021 FTM when the town purchased the property. He asked Kustell if the motion to purchase the property specifically included housing. 

Kustell said the Council meeting was “not a cross examination.” Kustell later added that the town “certainly” did not purchase the seven-acre parcel to preserve it entirely for open space. 

Rein said the conversation included many aspects of the property, and not just housing. 

Eventually, the Council voted 4-0 to forward the tweaked plan to the Planning Board.