By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

NORTH SMITHFIELD — Mirroring action taken by the Planning Board earlier this month, the Town Council Monday unanimously endorsed the Branch Village Revitalization Task Force’s recommended conceptual buildout scenarios for the proposed Branch Village project along Great Road.

“This (council endorsement) clears the way to present a mixed-use zoning ordinance that will allow implementation of a vision that fits the capacity of the district,” said Branch Village Revitalization Task Force Chairman John Flaherty.
According to Flaherty, town zoning consultants Andrew Teitz, Sam Shamoon and Tony Lachowitz have been working with the Ordinance Review Committee to develop a draft framework for that ordinance.
“They have been provided with the information from the buildout scenarios to guide the remaining substance of the ordinance,” said Flaherty, adding a draft of the ordinance could be in place for task force review and consideration in September.
The task force has been working with Lincoln-based Pare Corporation, which is the consulting firm assisting with the the second phase of the plan. Pare was hired to  help develop alternative mixed use scenarios and analyze impacts of the various development scenarios on public services, traffic and municipal tax base. Similar to the review process for the the project’s phase one concept plan approved last fall, approval of the buildout plan by both the Town Council and Planning Board now paves the way for a proposed zoning ordinance to enable implementation.
In his presentation to the council on Monday, Flaherty explained that the project’s Phase II buildout scenarios remain conceptual and should not be interpreted as specific or rigid Master Plan development proposals.
“I underscored the importance of the task force recommendation for retaining maximum flexibility in the ordinance in order to be adequately responsive to ever-changing market demand, provided that development is consistent with the vision and capacity of the district,” Flaherty explained. “The buildout model prepared by Pare Corporation is a dynamic spreadsheet tool that our town planner can now use in estimating the impacts of proposed development in relation to the larger buildout vision to ensure the health safety and welfare of the community.”
As for the proposed streetscape improvements, Flaherty says he will be meeting with Town Administrator Robert B. Lowe, Town Planner Michael Phillips and the chairman of the Sewer Commission to review all options for including the streetscape improvements as part of the town’s upcoming sewer work planned for 2009, including the task force’s pending federal appropriations request.
“If we identify one or more feasible options, we will likely schedule a task force meeting in August to review,” Flaherty said.
The task force has come up with alternate build out scenarios, one with an office focus and the second with an industrial focus. Full implementation of either recommended scenario would result in an estimated $2.1 million in net annual tax revenue, representing about 6 percent of the town’s existing budget, officials say.
The Branch Village Revitalization Task Force unveiled its proposed vision statement and concept plan to town officials and residents last November. The document was the culmination of a 10-month effort by the task force, who worked with Horsley Witten Group to examine development possibilities for the nearly 200-acre Branch Village District along Great Road.
Both the Town Council and Planning Board have adopted the concept plan, which calls for a more traditional village center with street-level retail with offices or apartments above, and on-street parking and sidewalks with benches and shade trees. The plan also suggests ways to encourage smart economic development within the 175-acre Branch River Industrial Park if it were allowed to accommodate a mix of uses not currently permitted in the manufacturing zone.