Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 650 - Coastal Resources Management Council › Chapter 20 - Coastal Management Program › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 5 - Metro Bay Region Special Area Management Plan › Section 650-RICR-20-00-5.3 - Metro Bay Region Policies

Current through June 14, 2024
A. Regional
				  approach: The CRMC seeks to promote the revitalization of the Metro Bay region
				  in a manner which increases public access and recreational opportunities as
				  well as economic uses. The consideration of Providence Harbor as part of the
				  broader Metro Bay region, a single geographic, economic and ecological unit,
				  greatly increases the number of individuals whose interest, concern and
				  commitment can be brought to the task of overcoming redevelopment obstacles and
				  providing political and financial support for waterfront revitalization
				  projects.
B. Enlisting the
				  involvement of municipalities: The CRMC shall actively work with the
				  municipalities to develop and implement local waterfront renewal
				  plans.
C. Reviewing municipal
				  waterfront plans: The CRMC shall provide early review and comment on municipal
				  plans and proposals for waterfront development projects to assure their
				  compatibility with its goals and policies for the Metro Bay region.
D. Enlisting the involvement of the public:
				  The CRMC shall actively work to foster public awareness, concern and support
				  for harbor and waterfront redevelopment and renewal at the state and local
				  level.
E. Provisions for shoreline
				  public access: CRMC's Urban Coastal Greenway policy applies to the Providence
				  Harbor and broader Metro Bay region. It strongly encourages shoreline public
				  access, integrating the need for urban shoreline access within the spatial
				  constraints of urban lots, through both alongshore and arterial access
				  pathways.
F. Improving the
				  management of the Metro Bay region and Narragansett Bay for maritime commerce:
				  The CRMC will support and assist efforts by municipal or state government, or
				  the industry itself, to improve the quality of port planning, operation and
				  management decisions.
G. Adoption
				  of a water quality-based approach to pollution control: The CRMC shall utilize
				  an approach to water quality planning and regulation which links conditions and
				  problems in estuarine waters to sources of pollution.
H. Shoreline use: The CRMC considers the
				  urbanized waterfront of the Metro Bay region as one of Rhode Island's valuable
				  coastal resources. The CRMC seeks to increase the overall contribution the
				  Metro Bay region makes to the well-being of nearby residents and the region in
				  terms of marine recreation, environmental quality, and economic activity. The
				  goals for the shoreline use of the Metro Bay region are to:
1. Transform deteriorated, abandoned, and
				  vacant waterfront property to high value public and private uses;
2. More effectively utilize open space for
				  outdoor recreation;
3. Protect the
				  economic viability of the port industry and marine commercial uses;
4. Improve the condition of the estuary in
				  order to support greater recreational use, remove aesthetic impediments to
				  waterfront redevelopment projects, and reduce the impact of Harbor pollution on
				  Narragansett Bay; and
5. Foster and
				  protect the existence of a diversity of uses in the Harbor in recognition of
				  the capacity of area to serve a variety of purposes and the persistence of
				  unfulfilled human needs in the surrounding communities for employment, outdoor
				  recreation, housing and environmental quality.