BARRINGTON – A developer has revised plans to redevelop the long-vacant Belton Court estate into a 344-unit housing development.
Shineharmony Holdings plans to create “Belton Court Village,” which would preserve part of the 1905 mansion and add 86 affordable homes under the state’s updated housing law.
Originally pitched in 2016 as a senior living project, the proposal has now been reworked as a mixed-income development under Rhode Island’s Comprehensive Permit law, which fast-tracks projects that include at least 25% affordable housing, Town Planning Director Herbert Durfee III said.
Late last month, Shineharmony Holdings, which currently owns the estate, submitted the plan through Providence-based law firm Blish & Cavanagh to the Barrington town planner’s office, formally outlining the affordable units under the state’s Comprehensive Permit law.
Durfee said Shineharmony’s renewed push to redevelop the site follows the 2024 overhaul of the Comprehensive Permit law, which introduced new incentives and streamlined reviews for mixed-income projects.
“While ShineHarmony has maintained its commitment to develop the parcel, amendments to the law over the last several years have encouraged the applicant to keep moving forward,” he said.
Proposed prices range from about $368,000 for a one-bedroom unit to $1.3 million for a four-bedroom home, with affordable units priced between $276,000 and $384,000. The plan also includes about 5,000 square feet of community or retail space in with part of the mansion’s west wing and tower.
Durfee said the application is still in the preliminary review stage and remains incomplete pending additional documentation. Once finalized, it will move to a public hearing before the Planning Board, likely no earlier than January 2026, he said.
The 39-acre estate has been mostly vacant since 2008 when Zion Bible College relocated. Shineharmony first proposed the “Belton Court Village” concept in 2023, envisioning mixed housing, pocket parks, and public amenities. The new filing expands that plan, adding two apartment buildings at the site’s center and formalizing the 86 affordable units.
The mansion has passed through several owners over the past century – from the Peck family to Barrington College and later Zion Bible College – and has long anchored the property. Today, Belton Court is one of only six individual structures in Barrington listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Durfee said the town has hired an engineering firm to conduct a “peer review” of the project’s infrastructure, traffic, and sewer plans. Much of the development would rely on private roadways, with state permits required for access, stormwater and wetlands.
If approved, the project would move through final plan and building permit stages, with construction expected to unfold in phases over three to five years, he noted.
Matthew McNulty is a PBN staff writer. He can be reached at McNulty@PBN.com or on X at @MattMcNultyNYC.
