Editor, The Smithfield Times:

I respectively take issue with the recent action by the Smithfield Planning Commission to deny the Grange at 10Main a waiver of the town’s 35-foot building height restriction. Acceptance of this waiver for some structures scattered over 57 acres, in my opinion, is a small price to pay for badly needed hotel rooms and residential housing. 

Albeit not in the historic district, one has to only look at the Smithfield Hampton Inn to view a four-story structure. I think this is a good visual representation of what we can expect in the proposed Grange development. Therefore I call upon the Smithfield Town Council to vote, in this case, to override the Planning Commission recommendation and to accept the height restriction waiver.

 

Henry McBurney

Smithfield