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by NICOLE MOEDER, NBC 10 NEWS
NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WJAR) — A controversial solar project is beginning to take shape off Route 403 in North Kingstown, where crews have started clearing trees for a development that has drawn years of opposition from nearby residents.
The project, being developed by a company affiliated with Green Development, will transform roughly 36 acres of wooded land into a 4-megawatt ground-mounted solar facility with approximately 10,000 solar panels.
The construction is taking place in the middle of the Davisville neighborhood, where many residents say they're frustrated by the loss of the woods and the noise from the work.
"It was always very quiet here. And now you can see it's not quiet anymore," neighbor David Gordon said.
"Now it's being totally destroyed. These big trucks are in and out of here all day now," neighbor Frank Sullivan said.
"We got to listen to every tree for 23 acres being chipped up right there and loaded into 18-wheelers. And this goes on all day, every day," Gordon added.
Beyond the construction noise, neighbors say they're worried about the environmental impact of removing so many trees.
"That's destroying the environment," Sullivan said. "It's on top of an aquifer that they're doing all this, so God knows what's going to happen to the water supply of the town."
Others say the trees also served as a buffer from Route 403.
"One of the things is the destruction of the 20 or more acres of woodlands," neighbor Jason Berkenstock said. "If you were here at 11 or midnight at night, it sounds just as loud as it does during the middle of the day."
Residents spent months fighting the project, including taking their objections to court.
Despite the opposition, the North Kingstown Planning Commission approved the project in 2024.
In February 2026, Rhode Island Superior Court upheld the town's approval, allowing construction to move forward.
"Ideally, it would be preserved," Berkenstock said. "The neighborhood lost the legal case. So, what you're looking at right now is the current state."
2026 Sinclair, Inc.

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