2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 45 - Towns and Cities › Chapter 45-24 - Zoning Ordinances › Section 45-24-38. - General provisions — Substandard lots of record. [Effective until January 1, 2024.]

§ 45-24-38. General provisions — Substandard lots of record. [Effective until January 1, 2024.]
Any city or town adopting or amending a zoning ordinance under this chapter shall regulate the use or uses of any single substandard lot of record or contiguous lots of record at the effective date of adoption or amendment of the zoning ordinance notwithstanding the failure of that lot or those lots to meet the dimensional and/or quantitative requirements, and/or road frontage or other access requirements, applicable in the district as stated in the ordinance. Provisions may be made for the merger of contiguous unimproved, or improved and unimproved, substandard lots of record in the same ownership to create dimensionally conforming lots or to reduce the extent of dimensional nonconformance. The ordinance shall specify the standards, on a district by district basis, which determine the mergers. The standards include, but are not to be limited to, the availability of infrastructure, the character of the neighborhood, and the consistency with the comprehensive plan.
History of Section.
P.L. 1991, ch. 307, § 1.
§ 45-24-38. General provisions — Substandard lots of record. [Effective January 1, 2024.]
(a)
Any city or town adopting or amending a zoning ordinance under this chapter shall regulate the development of any single substandard lot of record or contiguous lots of record at the effective date of adoption or amendment of the zoning ordinance.
(b)
Notwithstanding the failure of that lot or those lots to meet the dimensional and/or quantitative requirements, and/or road frontage or other access requirements, applicable in the district as stated in the ordinance, a substandard lot of record shall not be required to seek any zoning relief based solely on the failure to meet minimum lot size requirements of the district in which such lot is located. The setback, frontage, and/or lot width requirements for a structure under this section shall be reduced and the maximum building coverage requirements shall be increased by the same proportion as the lot area of the substandard lot is to the minimum lot area requirement of the zoning district in which the lot is located. All proposals exceeding such reduced requirement shall proceed with a modification request under § 45-24-46 or a dimensional variance request under § 45-24-41, whichever is applicable.
(c)
Provisions may be made for the merger of contiguous unimproved, or improved and unimproved, substandard lots of record in the same ownership to create dimensionally conforming lots or to reduce the extent of dimensional nonconformance. The ordinance shall specify the standards, on a district by district basis, which determine the mergers. The standards shall include, but are not to be limited to, the availability of infrastructure, the character of the neighborhood, and the consistency with the comprehensive plan. The merger of lots shall not be required when the substandard lot of record has an area equal to or greater than the area of fifty percent (50%) of the lots within two hundred feet (200′) of the subject lot, as confirmed by the zoning enforcement officer.
History of Section.
P.L. 1991, ch. 307, § 1; P.L. 2023, ch. 304, § 1, effective January 1, 2024; P.L. 2023, ch. 305, § 1, effective January 1, 2024.