At tonight’s City Council meeting, Councilman John Goncalves (Ward 1) proposed resolution, passed by the Council, requesting that the Department of Planning coordinates periodic workshops on Zoning practices and procedures in the City of Providence. This resolution has been co-sponsored by Council President Sabina Matos (Ward 15), Council President Pro Tempore Michael Correia (Ward 6), Senior Deputy Majority Leader Nicholas J. Narducci Jr. (Ward 4), Councilman Pedro Espinal (Ward 11), Councilor David A. Salvatore (Ward 14), Councilwoman Nirva R. LaFortune (Ward 3) and Councilwoman Carmen Castillo (Ward 9).
“As someone who supports robust development in our city that’s also aligned with the community, it is in the best interest of the City of Providence that there is an educated public that understands how to best engage in processes related to zoning matters. From time to time, communities are faced with contentious zoning matters that tend to create public confusion and frustration. Our goal is to alleviate this disconnect, and make public engagement and discourse regarding city planning more accessible,” stated Councilman John Goncalves.
This resolution requests that the Department of Planning and Development along with the Zoning Board of Review coordinate public workshops to better explain the distinctive roles of the City Plan Commission, the Historic District Commission, the Downtown Design Review Committee, the Capital Center Commission and the overall zoning processes and procedures. These workshops will be aimed at improving public understanding of matters pertaining to land development and economic growth in the City of Providence.
“By hosting periodic workshops to better articulate the intricacies of the zoning process, the Department of Planning would provide a setting where members of the public would be ale to better understand, ask questions and learn more about the City’s zoning authorities and the limitations of the Zoning Board of Review,” added Councilman Goncalves.
The Providence Zoning Board of Review is tasked with enforcing the Providence Zoning Code, which governs land development in the City of Providence through limitations on the types of land uses allowed in a particular district and dimensional requirements that apply to development of a given parcel of land. In the event that a developer wishes to deviate in some way from zoning requirements, they may request relief from the Zoning code from the Zoning Board of Review.
