Opinion ID: 2165292
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Illegality of the Defendants' Actions

Text: In urging that the city's approval of the Bellefont Park project is illegal, plaintiffs point to the provisions of G.L. 1956, § 45-32-7, which reads as follows: All redevelopment plans shall be submitted to the legislative body by the redevelopment agency. Every redevelopment plan shall conform to the master or general community plan insofar as the latter applies to the redevelopment area. The agency shall consult with the planning commission of the community in formulating redevelopment plans before their submission to the legislative body. Whenever a redevelopment plan is submitted to the legislative body, a copy thereof shall be submitted to the planning commission which shall report to the legislative body within thirty (30) days on the redevelopment plan and its conformity to the master or general plan of the community. The plaintiffs contend that the Bellefont Industrial Park project does not conform to the Cranston master plan and that the agency did not consult with the Cranston Planning Commission before the plans in dispute were presented to the city council. All the parties concede that the planning commission did not render its report relative to the agency's proposal within the 30-day period set forth in the statute. In the record is a letter from the Cranston Planning Commission dated January 22, 1968, wherein it informs the city council that the Bellefont project conforms to the city's master plan. An examination of the agreed statement of facts shows that a joint special meeting of the planning commission and the redevelopment agency was held on Wednesday, August 4, 1965. The conference concerned the proposed Bellefont Industrial Park. It is further agreed that the executive director of the redevelopment agency and the city planning director conferred on several occasions on this project. Section 45-32-5 of the General Laws gives a redevelopment agency the authority to select officers, agents and counsel. Sections 13.01 and 13.02 of the Cranston City Charter provide that the city's planning commission shall hire a director who shall direct all activities of the staff. The charter provisions we have referred to were validated by the legislature in 1963. It is obvious therefore that the general assembly contemplated that consultations which transpire between a planning commission and a redevelopment agency would be conducted by the appropriate personnel hired by the respective agencies. The trial justice found as a fact that there was consultation between the two municipal agencies and that the proposed industrial project did not violate the city's master plan. It is well settled that findings of fact made by a trial justice will not be upset unless clearly wrong. The evidence here certainly supports the superior court's finding. Likewise, we concur with the trial justice's conclusion that the failure of the planning commission to communicate its sentiments relative to the proposed Bellefont project to the council within 30 days does not invalidate the council's action. In our opinion the provision relating to the 30-day time period is purely directory. In determining whether the 30-day requirement is an indispensable element within the legislative process of initiating a redevelopment project, we need only look to certain provisions of chap. 32, of title 45. We can find nothing in the redevelopment act which nullifies the power of a planning commission to submit its report at any time after the expiration of the time limit set forth in § 45-32-7. There is no penalty set forth, nor has the general assembly seen fit to specify what the consequences would be should the planning commission fail to make a report within the 30-day period. In fact, § 45-32-12 provides that at a public hearing on the plan, a local legislature or the appointed committee thereof    shall consider the plan and report, if any, of the planning commission   . It is obvious that in enacting this provision the general assembly envisioned instances where a planning commission might not make any report. As was so aptly pointed out by the trial justice, if one considered the 30-day limit as being mandatory in nature, such a view would give a planning commission an absolute veto power over any and all projects formulated by a redevelopment agency, thus depriving a local legislative body of its statutory authority. Such a view is completely unrealistic. We therefore hold that the planning commission's failure to file its report within the 30 days set forth in the statute did not vitiate the council's action in approving the Bellefont Industrial Park Project. In their brief, the plaintiffs also complain that the Cranston Planning Commission did not render a report as contemplated by the requirements of § 45-32-7. This contention is not properly before us for the reason that this issue was not pursued in the trial court. As we said in Spouting Rock Beach Ass'n v. Garcia, R.I., A.2d 871, the only questions entitled to review in this court are those raised in the court below. We will not therefore consider this issue. The plaintiffs' appeal is denied and dismissed and the judgment appealed from is affirmed.