Richmond Council Rejects GD Richmond Beaver River Settlement | Daily news alerts

RICHMOND — Richmond City Council members rejected a proposed settlement of an unspecified green energy development for the property at 172 Beaver River Road to end an ongoing dispute with GD Beaver River I LLC.

The rejection came in a 3-1 vote with one abstention after a 40-minute executive session discussion regarding City of Richmond v. GD Richmond Beaver River I, LLC, et al.

“A settlement proposal was made in executive session and a vote was taken on that proposal,” explained Council President Mark Trimmer. “A motion made by Councilwoman (Samantha) Wilcox and seconded by me is to drop the green energy regulation. A vote was held with three “yes” against, one “no” and one abstention.

At the request of Councilman Michael Colasante, Trimmer stated that on a roll call vote, Wilcox, Councilman Rich Nassani and Trimmer voted to decline and Councilwoman Helen Sheehan voted to accept. Colasante abstained from voting.

The protocol of the discussion of the executive meeting is fixed. Further details of the settlement offer remain part of ongoing negotiations and are not being disclosed.

The denial is just the latest in a series of ongoing delays in the case of GD Beaver River I, LLC and property owner William Stamp Jr. v. the City of Richmond Zoning Board.

The company originally applied for a special use permit in 2018 to build a commercial solar array on the Stamp-owned property at 172 Beaver River Road. The proposed 5.3-megawatt array would occupy about seven acres of the 41-acre site and was denied due to concerns about the impact on a nearby substation and sparsely populated residential development in the area.

In 2023, the company won an appeal in the Rhode Island Superior Court. In a 32-page decision issued March 31, the judge ruled that the reasons for denying the application were “factually or legally unsound” and therefore the application should have been granted, ordering the Zoning Board to issue a special use permit.

The Richmond City Council at its April 19, 2023 meeting voted to file a motion for an injunction, but asked the courts to review the lower court’s decision. Beaver River Valley Community Association co-founder John Paisinho also hired an appellate attorney to make the same request.

According to Rhode Island court documents, the last action in the case was on Oct. 28, when GD Beaver River filed a motion for an extension of time to file a Rule 12A counterclaim, which Peisinho objected to. According to the records, no decision was made.

The case continues until the court hearing. No future date has been set in the case, and it remains on consolidated appeal.