South Kingstown Villages Study

South Kingstown Villages Study
The Village of Matunuck
April 23, 2013
Vincent Murray
South Kingstown Planning Department
180 High Street
Wakefield, RI 02879
Nate Kelly & Craig Pereira
Horsley Witten Group
370 Ives Street
Providence, RI 02906
Project Background
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Statewide Planning Challenge Grant
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Project Goals:
◦ Community engagement
◦ Economic development and viability
◦ Identify infill opportunities
◦ Define an appropriate ‘village scale’
Project Scope
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Inventory public infrastructure and potential
improvements
Buildout Analysis
Review local planning documents
Conduct public workshops
◦ Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats
Develop ‘vision statement’ and policy directions
Draft amendments to local regulations
Why plan for villages?
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Growth Management
Cultural Resources
Community Character
Economic Health
Housing Diversity
Public Health
Water Resources
Climate Change
History
www.sos.ri.gov
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Settled and farmed for centuries
o Early settlements included a handful of houses set back from the
road, near Segar Cove
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By the mid 19th century, the recreational potential of
the shore was widely recognized
o Hotels and inns were listed in local tourist guides
o Newspaper articles discussed the local beaches as popular
destinations for Providence residents
o The village became a place of rest and health for residents and
visitors
History
www.matuncukbeachri.com
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Summer colonization of the South Kingstown shore continued to
accelerate in the early 20th century as these areas became more
accessible by automobile
o Houses were built at scattered sites along the coast
o At Matunuck Beach, there were several hotels and guest cottages to
accommodate visitors
o At the Matunuck Point summer colony, lots were larger and allowed for the
construction of more spacious homes
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An oral history project, Matunuck: Not just a Place but a State of
Mind, speaks to recapturing a sense of community and more
specifically, brings to light the Matunuck artists movement
o Earlier volumes speak to personal accounts on the day the 1938 Hurricane
arrived
o Another volume mentions the division of ‘pond people’ and ‘beach people
from the 1960’s-era paved Route 1
o The third volume introduces Matunuck artists, including the watercolors of
Elizabeth Gibson Ferry, photographs of Mathias ‘Mo’ Oppersdorff, and
acrylics of Jeffrey Gardner – who still lives and paints in the village
Existing Conditions
Aerial view of the Village
Existing Conditions
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A summer vacation community…
o Approximately 1,000
seasonal and year-round
residential units
o Small businesses
o Agriculture/Open space
o Cultural resources
o Natural resources
o Recreational resources
Physical Environment
Natural Resources
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The geology of Matunuck’s coastline is a combination
of headlands and barrier beaches. The beaches have
been eroding over a long period of time, leaving most
sediment-starved with narrow, low profiles.
In response to coastal storms and sea
level rise, barrier beaches are presently
migrating landward as sand eroded from
the ocean beach is transported by storm
surge ‘over wash’ to the back barrier and
coastal lagoon.
Physical Environment
Natural Resources
The Town has approximately 363 acres of coastal wetlands,
with an additional 1,707 acres of salt ponds and estuarine
rivers including the Pettaquamscutt River, Point Judith Pond,
Potter Pond, Card Pond, Trustom Pond, and Green Hill
Pond. – all within the general vicinity of the village, with
Potter Pond central to Matunuck.
 Due to its greater depth and predominantly soft bottom,
Potter Pond supports a limited recreational shellfishery,
primarily being used by residents who live around the
pond.
 For the past 10 years, the Rhode Island Marine Fisheries
Council has designated Point Judith, Green Hill, and Potter
Ponds as Shellfish Management Areas, while Point Judith
and Potter Pond support small operations for shellfish
hatchery aquaculture.
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Physical Environment
Critical and Environmentally Sensitive Resources
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Approximately 20% of the State’s most significant rare
species and natural communities occur in South
Kingstown.
These features are concentrated
around the Trustom and Card
Ponds, the Town Beach and
southern corner of Potter’s Pond.
Physical Environment
Agricultural Resources
Active agricultural operations include town-owned
property (leased to a local farmer for hay/feed production)
 Carpenter’s Farm is a significant agricultural operation
protected under ‘RI Agricultural Land Preservation
Commission’
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Physical Environment
Cultural Resources
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Includes historic cemeteries, sites (Theater by the Sea and
Admiral Dewey Inn/Dewey Cottage), Browning’s Beach
Historic District, and a distinctive scenic landscape
(Trustom Pond/Matunuck)
Social and Recreational Environment
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Town Beach and Deep Hole fishing area
◦ Swimming, playground and open space
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Commercial establishments
◦ The Ocean Mist, Tara’s, The Vanilla Bean, Seaview Market, Matunuck
Surf Shop, etc.
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Mary Carpenter’s, Roy Carpenter’s and Blackbeard's
◦ Family summer colonies
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Theater by the Sea
◦ Historic, cultural and employment resource
Infrastructure Environment
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No provision of sewer service, requires use of on-site waste
water systems (or holding tanks in some cases)
Water Service provided via a 12-inch main along Matunuck
Beach Road, approximately 4-feet below the existing barrier
beach at East Matunuck State Beach
Matunuck Beach Road vulnerability to undermining due to
accelerated coastal erosion/storm surges
Parking (on and off-street) needs
Pedestrian circulation is limited
Lateral access to the shore is limited
Zoning Review
Zoning Review
Medium-High Density Residential (R20)
Mary Carpenter’s and
residential neighborhoods to
the north
Matunuck Point
Beach Club area
Blackberry Hill area
Zoning Review
Medium-High Density Residential (R20)
Zoning Review
Rural Residential Low Density (R80)
Antique Road, north
Matunuck Schoolhouse Road
Zoning Review
Rural Very Low Density Residential (R200)
Antique Road, south
Roy Carpenter’s
summer colony
Zoning Review
Rural Very Low Density Residential (R200)
Zoning Review
Commercial Neighborhood (CN)
Northern end of CN district (Beginning at
Seaview Marketplace)
North and south side of Matunuck Beach Road
Zoning Review
Commercial Neighborhood (CN)
Zoning Review
Government/Institutional (GI)
Union Fire District: Station 7 Matunuck
Matunuck Elementary School
Zoning Review
Open Space
Zoning Review
Open Space (OS)
Carpenter’s Farm
Town Beach
Defining Issues
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Coastal erosion
Recognizing/supporting the village’s character
Parking
Pedestrian circulation/safety
Public and private infrastructure
Defining Issues
Coastal Erosion
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Approximately 50 percent of the beach width has
eroded since 1939
Integrity of Matunuck Beach Road is at risk of being
compromised (also the only access/egress/evacuation
route for over 1,000 seasonal and year-round
dwellings)
Hurricane Sandy pounded the Browning’s Beach
Historic District, the first row of cottages at Roy
Carpenter’s summer colony, and flooded the west side
of Mary Carpenter’s Beach Meadow summer colony
Existing commercial structures, synonymous with
Matunuck, suffered extensive damage/loss of revenue
Defining Issues
Coastal Erosion
Defining Issues
Coastal Erosion
www.southkingstown.patch.com
www.southkingstown.patch.com
www.southkingstown.patch.com
www.southkingstown.patch.com
Defining Issues
Coastal Erosion
Anticipated projects/policies – Matunuck Erosion Mitigation
Recommendations…
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Install steel ‘sheet pile’ reinforcement (wall) on the
southerly edge of Matunuck Beach Road right of way
along a 202’ stretch west of Ocean Mist. The sheet
pile will be capped with a low concrete wall (3.5 feet)
Town Beach Pavilion repairs and beach
grading/replenishment; planned relocation of pavilion
and OWTS beyond 100 year floodplain
CRMC pending experimental coastal erosion control
regulations
RI shoreline change “Beach SAMP” coming over the
next 3-5 years
Defining Issues
Recognizing/supporting the village’s character
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Small quaint summer cottages, once desired by many,
could be torn down and re-developed as multi-story
high-end residences
Support the future of Theater by the Sea
Continuity of seasonal summer colonies
Defining Issues
Parking
Deep Hole’s ‘first come, first served’ free public parking
facility provides convenient shore-side parking for a limited
number of users (approximately 30 vehicles +/-)
 Limited on-street parking associated with the smaller
commercial district (Seaview Market area) and several offstreet spaces available at the Matunuck Surf Shop
 The primary commercial area also has limited on-street
parking, with over-flow parking pushing into the residential
neighborhoods (Carpenter’s Beach Meadow traditionally
offered off-street parking through private agreements or with a
day-rate pass…site is being utilized as the new location of the
Meadow’s septic system)
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Defining Issues
Pedestrian circulation and safety
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Sidewalks in the village begin at Seaview Marketplace
and continue into the heart of the village, ending at
Prospect Road
Minimal pedestrian amenities in the area (shelter,
shade trees/structures, benches, and lighting)
Summer traffic can pose safety concerns
Lateral shoreline access is limited by the presence of
shoreline revetments, compounded by the highvelocity wave environment and strong tidal currents
Defining Issues
Public and private infrastructure
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Vulnerability of the 12-inch water main along Matunuck
Beach Road (portion of the water main located between
East Matunuck State Beach and Ocean Avenue is extremely
vulnerable to being undermined from storm surge induced
shoreline erosion)
Potential threat of contamination by failing septic
systems and use of holding tanks
Integrity of Matunuck Beach Road is at risk of being
compromised/Relocation of eight utility poles and
overhead utilities to the north side of Matunuck Beach
Road
Compromised holding capacity of coastal pond near the
Vanilla Bean exacerbates issue of periodic, temporary
flooding events
Stay Informed, Get Involved!
Please visit the project website at:
www.horsleywitten.com/skingstownvillagestudy