Source: https://www.ecode360.com/9724607
Timestamp: 2019-10-15 08:31:12
Document Index: 702885196

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 45', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340', '§ 340']

Town of Johnston, RI Planned Districts
Ch 340 Art XV Planned Districts
§ 340-92 Purpose.
§ 340-93 Requirements.
§ 340-94 Planned District designation.
§ 340-95 Permitted uses.
§ 340-96 Residential density.
§ 340-97 Dimensional regulations.
§ 340-98 Property size and coverage.
§ 340-99 Buffers.
§ 340-100 Architectural form and appearance.
§ 340-101 Open space requirements.
§ 340-102 Commercial uses.
§ 340-103 Streets.
§ 340-104 Off-street parking.
§ 340-105 Off-street loading; vehicular stacking; walk-up windows.
§ 340-106 Signs.
§ 340-107 Application and approval process.
§ 340-108 (Reserved)
§ 340-108.1 (Reserved)
Article XV Planned Districts [1]
[Amended 2-17-2011 by Ord. No. 2010-29]
Editor's Note: Former Art. XV, Planned Districts, as amended, was repealed 2-17-2011 by Ord. No. 2010-25.
The purpose of this article is to establish regulations for Planned Districts that will coincide with the general pattern of land use established by this chapter for the development of the Town and to further the purposes set forth in § 340-2 hereof. Planned districts are established herein to encourage development of harmonious, efficient and convenient neighborhoods and business developments by promoting variety in land use, residential density and site design through clustering of buildings and preservation of unique natural features of the site. Additionally, the intent of this article is to ensure that Planned Districts:
Promote the conservation of energy and energy-efficient patterns of development;
Provide for the protection of existing and planned public drinking water supplies, their tributaries and watersheds;
Provide adequate, safe, and efficient transportation systems;
Avoid congestion by relating types and levels of development to the capacity of the circulation system, and maintain a safe level of service of the system;
Provide for pedestrian access to and between public and private facilities, including, but not limited to, schools, employment centers, shopping centers, recreation areas and residences;
Maintain harmony with neighboring uses;
Provide standards for and requirements of provisions for adequately and properly designed physical improvements, including plantings and proper property maintenance;
Further the accomplishment of the goals of the affordable housing element of the Town's Comprehensive Community Plan;
Preserve the unique natural features of the site; and
Create a cohesive campus-like development that features walkablity and integration of uses. A campus-like project includes various interrelated uses and a shared pedestrian and vehicular circulation pattern, with the potential for a common focal point, gathering space, or open space.
Planned Districts. A Planned District ("PD") shall meet all of the following criteria:
Must conform to the requirements set forth in § 340-98.
Must be located in a Planned District zone, designated for a petition to change the zone in a R-7, R-10, R-15 or R-20 zone, or designated for a zone change in a R-40 or lower density zone where the uses of adjacent properties are business, commercial, institutional or government uses.
Must possess access to municipal water and sewer service.
Must be located in an area with vehicular access that minimizes traffic impacts through established neighborhoods.
Parcels shall be merged into one lot prior to issuing any permits unless it is demonstrated that each parcel meets the zoning standard and development will not share responsibility for common infrastructure operation or maintenance.
Planned Mixed Use Development District. A Planned Mixed Use Development District ("PMUD") is a type of Planned District in which a mixture of land uses are contained within a single development, building, tract or parcel. A Planned Mixed Use Development District shall meet the following criteria:
Must be located directly on Atwood Avenue, Hartford Avenue, or another principal arterial roadway delineated in the Highway Functional Classification System for the State of Rhode Island (2005, as amended), with the exclusion of Sanderson Road, Greenville Avenue, and Atwood Avenue north of the Cherry Hill Road intersection;
Must conform to the requirements set forth in § 340-98;
Must possess access and connections to all major utilities, including municipal water and sewer service;
Must not be designated for a petition to change the zone from a R-40 or lower density underlying zone, or be adjacent to a R-40 or lower density residential zone, unless the uses on the adjacent properties are business, commercial, institutional, or governmental uses, prior to the designation of the property for which a petition to change the property's zone to a PMUD has been submitted;
Must be located in an area where the predominant surrounding vicinity zone and/or use is business, institutional/government, and/or multifamily;
Must be developed by a single owner or by a group of owners acting jointly; and
Supportive commercial uses must conform with § 340-102.
Continuing Care Retirement Community. A Continuing Care Retirement Community ("CCRC") is a Planned District with a mix of retirement care uses that may include assisted, independent and intergenerational living with supportive services that may include skilled nursing and rehabilitative care, home health care, adult day care and personalized assistance designed to respond to the individual needs of those who require assistance with the activities of daily living.
A CCRC shall be permitted by special use permit in a B-2 zone and/or as part of a Planned District in the R-40 zoning district.
Property size and coverage must conform to § 340-98.
A petition for a Zoning Map amendment for a Planned District shall be submitted, together with a site plan, to the Town Council, which shall transmit the petition and the site plan to the Planning Board for review. Prior to issuing an advisory opinion to the Town Council for the enactment of any amendment to this chapter providing for a Planned District, a Planned Mixed Use Development District, or a Continuing Care Retirement Community, the Planning Board must conduct a review in accordance with:
The site plan review requirements of § 340-107 and master plan stage approval of major land development in accordance with the Town of Johnston Land Development and Subdivision Regulations for major subdivisions;[1]
Sections 340-110 and 340-111; and
R.I.G.L. § 45-24-52.
Upon approval of a Zoning Map amendment or for development within an already designated Planned District, Planned Mixed Use Development District or Continuing Care Retirement Community zone, site review shall be conducted in accordance with § 340-107.
The Planning Board may apply such special conditions to the approval as may, in the opinion of the Planning Board, be required to maintain harmony with neighboring uses and promote the objectives and purposes of the Comprehensive Plan and this chapter.
The Town of Johnston Table of Use Regulations, "Table III D-1," is incorporated herein and is located at the end of this chapter.
The following uses are permitted by right in Planned Districts:
Noncommercial recreation uses to be used by residents of any residential development that is part of a Planned District;
Conservation and open space areas.
The following uses shall be permitted in Planned Districts upon receipt of a special use permit:
Senior center, youth center, and similar public and semipublic use types of facilities;
A group of medical and/or dental offices and/or health maintenance organizations (HMOs) on an outpatient-only basis, and their ancillary uses, including pharmacy, emergency care and/or treatment facility, outpatient services such as diagnostic and laboratory testing, occupational and physical therapy, physical fitness, drug and alcohol rehabilitation;
Neighborhood uses such as senior day-care facility;
Indoor/outdoor recreation facilities; and
Multifamily structures containing any dwelling units in excess of three bedrooms.
Residential density shall be regulated as follows:
[Amended 11-14-2011 by Ord. No. 2011-26]
Planned District where nonresidential use does not exceed 5% gross floor area.
Maximum Units/Net Acre1
Single-family detached clustered arrangements
Two-family duplex dwelling
Multifamily dwelling with no affordable housing units
Multifamily dwelling with 10% of units designated to be affordable housing units for the thirty-year minimum2
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) or comparable certification incentive is one additional unit/NET acre.
"Affordable housing units," as defined in Title 45, Chapter 53, of the Rhode Island General Laws (1956, as amended), Towns and Cities, Low and Moderate Income Housing.
Planned Mixed Use District.
Maximum Units/Net Acre
Single-family detached clustered arrangement
Multifamily dwelling with 10% of units designated to be affordable housing units for the thirty-year minimum1
"Affordable housing units" as defined in Title 45, Chapter 23, of the Rhode Island General Laws (1956, as amended), Towns and Cities, Law and Moderate Income Housing.
Townhouse criteria.
Not more than four contiguous townhouses shall be built in a row with the same or approximately the same front line, and not more than eight townhouses shall be contiguous.
Each townhouse shall have its own yard containing not less than 400 square feet, reasonably secluded from the view from streets or from neighboring property. Such yards shall not be used for off-street parking or for any accessory building.
The minimum distance between any two rows of townhouse buildings substantially parallel to each other shall be 60 feet. The minimum distance between the abutting ends of townhouses in the same general plane or row shall be 30 feet.
Multifamily criteria.
Multifamily dwellings, including apartments and condominiums, located within a Planned District shall conform to the requirements of §§ 340-56 through 340-58 and §§ 340-60 and 340-61.
Not more than 24 dwelling units shall be permitted in a multifamily structure.
Mixed use in a Planned Mixed Use Development District.
Structures for other permitted or special permit uses shall be a minimum of 35 feet from other buildings within the development.
The Table of Dimensional Regulations for Planned Districts is located at the end of this chapter and is fully incorporated herein by reference.
The tract of land for a planned development shall consist of not less than the following minimum lot criteria and NET area requirements after freshwater wetlands, wetland buffers, slopes in excess of 8%, easements, and previously developed (not proposed for redevelopment) areas have been deducted from the following land area calculations:
Net area equal to at least 20 acres unless the Planning Board and Town Council approve a waiver of this requirement where the Planning Board finds that the proposed area provides adequate and suitable area for the use(s) proposed to be added, and is consistent with the goals and purposes of Planned Districts as set forth in § 340-92, and provides for a campus-like setting with an efficient, integrated pattern of development providing for easy pedestrian access to and between facilities and other pedestrian-friendly amenities; has adequate and suitable infrastructure and parking and properly manages traffic safety and circulation issues; has suitable designed physical improvements, including plantings and landscaped buffering for the protection of abutters; and is consistent with the Town's Comprehensive Community Plan.
Length of continuous frontage on an improved public street: 100 feet.
Total maximum building coverage shall be determined on a sliding scale, as follows:
If less than 25% of the total gross tract is excluded due to the existence of steep slopes and/or wetlands, then the maximum lot coverage shall not exceed 40% of the net tract.
If 25% to 40% of the total gross tract is excluded due to the existence of steep slopes and/or wetlands, then the maximum lot coverage shall not exceed 50% of the net tract.
If more than 40% of the total gross tract is excluded due to the existence of steep slopes and/or wetlands, then the maximum lot coverage shall not exceed 60% of the net tract.
The tract of land for a Planned Mixed Use Development District shall consist of not less than the following minimum lot criteria and net area requirements after freshwater wetland buffers, slopes in excess of 8% easements, and previously developed (not proposed for redevelopment) areas have been deducted from the following land area calculations:
Net area equal to at least 10 acres; and
Abutting properties. There shall be permanently maintained a minimum open space of 25 feet from any property line or right-of-way line, with the exception of the front yard under certain conditions, as delineated in Subsection B herein. Said open space shall not be paved for parking or driveways/circulation and may not be used for leaching or absorption fields. However, easements for utility lines and walkways for access to parking areas are permitted. Unless an agreement is rendered between abutting property owners to provide pedestrian and vehicular connections, the following must be installed between the abutting side and rear properties:
A vegetated area within said buffer of a minimum of 10 feet, with appropriate year-round screening incorporating an opaque vertical element with a minimum height of six feet by four feet in depth, at two years' maturity for natural features; or
Six feet for solid fences and walls.
The permanently maintained open space minimum of 25 feet from the right-of-way line or adjacent property line may be reduced to a ten-foot-wide landscaped and vegetated open space area buffer with a three-foot vertical element maintained between the parking and the landscaped area along the public street right-of-way line for the entire length of the frontage, except in the location of any approved curb cuts. Said vertical elements may consist of either a solid wall, dense hedge, or an earthen berm and may not be situated any closer than three feet from the right-of-way line; the purpose of this vertical element is to provide a year-round visual screen. Further, vertical elements shall not adversely affect sight distance for exiting vehicles.
This reduced buffer within the front yard shall not be paved for parking or driveways/circulation, and may not be used for leaching or absorption fields; however, easements for underground utility lines are permitted. The design for said buffers shall be in accordance with the landscaping provisions of this chapter and the Land Development and Subdivision Review Regulations of the Town of Johnston.[1]
Proposed projects and structures shall be required to follow in the spirit and character of the neighborhood and/or area in which it is to be located with specific regard to the height, size, and style of other residential structures in the immediate vicinity. Said structure(s) shall be harmonious and blend with the existing nearby built and natural landscape and shall not alter the character of the surrounding neighborhood(s). The Planning Board shall have final approval over the exterior styling of building architecture and facades of buildings and projects proposed in the Planned District zones in terms of height, size, style and harmonious compatibility with the surrounding neighborhoods.
If the Planned District includes residential uses, at least 20% of the gross land area of the total tract, exclusive of land devoted to roads or easements, shall be devoted to open land for public or common use.
Buildings or other uses for noncommercial recreational or cultural purposes compatible with open land objectives may be permitted only after approval by the Planning Board.
Common open land may be in one or more parcels of a size and shape appropriate for its intended use as determined by the Planning Board.
Access shall be created at least 25 feet wide to each parcel of such common open land from one or more streets in a Planned District, depending on the size of the development and the surrounding land uses, as determined by the Planning Board.
A maximum of 20% of the common open land may be devoted to paved areas and structures used for or accessory to active outdoor recreation which is consistent with open land uses of such land.
All open land provided by land development projects for public or common use shall be conveyed to and maintained by either of the following with the approval of the Planning Board:
A corporation or trust owned or to be owned by the owners or lots or units within the development;
Owners of shares within a cooperative development (if such a corporation or trust is used, ownership shall pass with conveyances of the lots or units);
In Planned Districts, uses are permitted by right or by special use permit in accordance with § 340-95 and Table III D-1, titled "Use Regulations."
In Planned Mixed Use Development Districts (PMUDs), buildings with mixed use (ground floor retail and upper level residential or office use) are permitted in accordance with the following sliding scale:
If less than 25% of the total gross tract is excluded due to the existence of steep slopes and/or wetlands, then not more than 40% of the gross floor area (GFA) developed within the net tract may be used for nonresidential uses by right or by special use permit. If 25% to 40% of the total gross tract is excluded due to the existence of steep slopes and/or wetlands, then not more than 50% of the GFA developed within the net tract may be used for permitted nonresidential uses by right or by special use permit.
If more than 40% of the total gross tract is excluded due to the existence of steep slopes and/or wetlands, then not more than 60% of the GFA developed within the net tract may be used for permitted nonresidential uses by right or by special permit.
Streets in a proposed Planned District that are to be dedicated for public use shall be constructed in accordance with the provisions of the Johnston Land Development and Subdivision Review Regulations.[1] Streets in a proposed Planned District that are to be kept private and will not be dedicated for public use shall require Planning Board approval, which may be contingent upon the developer adhering to the provisions of the regulations as determined on a case-by-case basis. This determination shall be in accordance with and consideration of the proposed uses for the site while insuring the health, safety, and welfare of the targeted population and adequate accessibility for emergency vehicles.
Off-street parking in a Planned District shall be provided in accordance with §§ 340-28 through 340-34 and § 340-60, except as otherwise provided for herein.
Due to the typical shared nature of PMUDs, the total off-street parking may be reduced to 90% of the required number of spaces for the individual uses if the location of the parking design is determined by the Planning Board to be conducive to sharing. A shared use agreement may be required by the Planning Board between tenants and owners, and said agreement shall survive any future property transfer.
In Continuing Care Retirement Communities, parking for one car space shall be provided for every three beds, plus 10% of those spaces.
Off-street loading in a Planned District shall be provided in accordance with §§ 340-35 through 340-37.
The following requirements apply to off-street stacking and loading spaces and spaces utilized in conjunction with window services and drive-through services:
Overhead clearance for drive-through/window services shall be a minimum of 14 feet in height.
Drive-through service areas shall be situated on the premises where the location will not impede the traffic flow accessing or circulating within the property boundaries and where stacking areas are separate and apart from the primary circulation driveways.
Stacking spaces are required for drive-through service areas and shall be a minimum size of 12 feet wide by 20 feet long and shall be provided for as follows:
Six stacking spaces for the first service window or station (i.e., automated teller).
Four stacking spaces for each additional service window or station.
A minimum distance of 40 feet shall exist between the front of the stacking space at the service window or station and the exit onto the street or circulation driveway, thereby permitting a vehicle to drive beyond the service window or station after the completion of a transaction and wait until merging into the traffic stream.
Outside walk-up windows shall be provided with a hard-surfaced sidewalk area comprised of concrete, asphalt, or the like with a minimum width of 10 feet and extend to a minimum of five feet on each side of the service area; this area shall be physically separated from the circulation and drive-through areas with a barrier, which may include raising the area with a finished curbing. Walk-up window areas shall be constructed so as to comply with state handicapped access laws and regulations.
Signs erected or installed within a Planned District shall conform to the regulations set forth in §§ 340-42 through 340-44.
Any Planned District and/or Planned Mixed Use Development application involving one or more lots, tracts, or parcels of land that are to be developed or redeveloped as a coordinated site for a complex of uses, units, or structures, which may include, but are not limited to, planned development and/or cluster development for residential or mixed residential-business use, shall be defined as a major land development project and shall also require Planning Board approval in accordance with Rhode Island General Laws Title 45, Chapter 23, and the Johnston Land Development and Subdivision Review Regulations,[1] including those provisions for appeal and judicial review, whether or not the land development project constitutes a subdivision under such provisions.
Preapplication conference. At the request of either the Planning Board or the applicant, a preapplication conference with the Planning Board shall be held to:
Acquaint the applicant with the Johnston Comprehensive Community Plan and any specific plans that apply to the parcel, as well as the Zoning Ordinance and other ordinances that affect the proposed development;
A site plan shall be submitted in accordance with § 340-94 for any Zoning Map amendment advisory opinion to the Town Council.
Site plan requirements: The developer shall submit at least four copies of a site plan for Planning Board review. Such plan shall be prepared and stamped by a registered professional land surveyor and a registered professional engineer. The site plan shall include the following:
Proposed name of the development;
Location by metes and bounds description;
Name and address of the applicant and designer of the plan;
Scale of plan: one inch equals 10 feet;
Date, North arrow, contours at two-foot intervals;
Boundary line of the development indicated by a solid line, and the total acreage encompassed thereby;
Location, widths and names of all existing and prior platted streets, pavements, curbs, utility poles, railroad and utility rights-of-way, parks and other public open spaces, permanent buildings and structures, houses or permanent easements, and section and municipal boundary lines on or within 500 feet of the development;
Existing sewers, water mains, culverts, catch basins, hydrants and other underground facilities within the tract, indicating pipe sizes, grades, manholes and location;
Proposed location, arrangement, and dimensions of automobile parking spaces, width of bays, angle of parking;
Proposed location and dimensions of vehicular drives, entrances, exits, walks, and walkways;
Proposed drainage system, sanitary sewer, hydrants, water line and other utilities;
Proposed location, height and materials of walls, fences and screen plantings;
Proposed ground cover, finished grades, slopes, banks and ditches;
The stages, if any, to be followed in the construction of development;
A comprehensive plan for the development of the abutting land, if any, owned by the developer;
Test boring data, at least one fifteen-foot for every four acres of land;
Typical street cross-sections;
Proposed parks, playgrounds, and other open spaces, if any;
Total number of dwelling units in the proposed development and the overall density;
Percentage of the area to be devoted to roadways;
Percentage of the area to be devoted to parks, playgrounds and other common facilities;
Percentage of area covered by buildings;
Identification of wetlands (including buffer) and slopes steeper than 8%; identification of percentage of net buildable area; and
Any other items deemed necessary by the Planning Board.
Review guidelines. The Planning Board may recommend the establishment of a Planned District to the Town Council, provided that the facts submitted with the application and presented to the Planning Board establish that:
The site plan for the Planned District is consistent with the purpose, requirements, permitted use, design, density, dimensional regulations, affordable housing objectives, open space requirements, and related criteria established for such Planned District.
Reasonable conditions have been imposed, where necessary, to mitigate any adverse impacts of the proposed Planned District, particularly:
That the proposed Planned District, or given phase thereof, can be substantially completed within four years of the establishment of the Planned District;
That each individual phase of development, as well as the total development, can exist as an independent phase capable of creating an environment of sustained desirability and stability or that adequate assurance will be provided that such objective will be attained; before any clearing or site disturbance for subsequent phases of development, an erosion control permit shall be obtained, required drainage improvements shall be implemented, and the site shall be stabilized (No stockpiling of material shall be permitted.);
That the uses proposed will not be detrimental to present and potential surrounding uses, but will have a beneficial effect which could not be achieved under other zoning districts;
That the streets and thoroughfares proposed are suitable and adequate to carry anticipated traffic, and increased densities will not generate traffic in such amounts as to overload the street network outside the Planned District, especially in residential neighborhoods;
That any proposed commercial development, where allowed, can be justified economically at the location proposed to provide for adequate commercial facilities of the types proposed;
That the Planned District is in conformance with the general plan of the Johnston Comprehensive Plan; and
That existing or proposed utility services are adequate for the population densities proposed.
Required documents. If residential uses that provide for common open space are included in the Planned District, the following documents shall be submitted with the site plan:
An agreement between the developer and the Town of Johnston stating, among other things:
That in the event of failure or neglect on the part of the owners, successors, or assigns to maintain the common open space areas, landscaping and other improvements in good condition, the Town may perform the necessary work and for that purpose may enter upon the land and do said work and charge the cost thereof, including reasonable attorneys' fees, against the owners, successors or assigns.
That the developer will construct the project in accordance with the approved plans.
That the contract shall be binding upon the heirs, assigns, receivers or successors of the project and shall be a lien upon the property.
Any other conditions the Planning Board deems reasonably necessary to carry out the intent of the Planned District.
The following items shall also be submitted:
Certification from the Johnston Tax Collector that all taxes due on the land described in the Planned District have been paid for five years preceding the date of filing and that there are no outstanding tax liens thereon.
Copies of existing and proposed deed restrictions and protective covenants to run with the land in the Planned District if such exist or are proposed.
A statement by the applicant describing any easements and the conditions thereof to the Planning Board.
Action on site plan. Not more than 30 days after the close of the hearing on the site plan, the Planning Board shall determine whether the proposed development complies with all requirements of this article, and shall:
Notify the applicant, in writing, how the plan must be amended to comply with the requirements of this article; or
Notify the applicant, in writing, that the plan does not comply with the requirements of this article.
Change of approved site plan. If the applicant wants to make any amendment to an approved site plan, a written request shall be submitted to the Planning Board. If, in the opinion of the Planning Board, a requested change is sufficiently substantial, the Planning Board shall require the submission of an amended site plan. The procedure for the consideration of such written request or of such amended site plan shall be the same as that for consideration of a site plan under § 340-93.
Filing fees. Application for a Planned District designation approval from the Town Council shall be accompanied by all fees required by law.