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City of East Providence
City of East Providence Zoning Ordinance
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§ 19-360.3

Purpose and objective

  • (a) Adaptive reuse for the conversion of any commercial building, including offices, schools, religious facilities, medical buildings, and malls into residential units or mixed use developments which include the development of at least 50 percent of the existing gross floor area into residential units, shall be a permitted use, except where such is prohibited by environmental land use restrictions recorded on the property by the State of Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management or the United States Environmental Protection Agency preventing the conversion to residential use.

  • (b) Parking. Adaptive reuse projects shall require a minimum of one off-street parking space per dwelling unit. In cases where adaptive reuse projects are located within Main Street and Neighborhood Center Overlay Districts, a minimum of 0.5 off-street parking spaces per dwelling unit may be provided for one bedroom units.

  • (c) Density.

    • (1) For projects that meet the following criteria, these regulations shall not limit the maximum residential density:

      • a. Where the project is limited to the existing footprint, except that the footprint is allowed to be expanded to accommodate upgrades related to the building and fire codes and utilities; and

      • b. The development includes at least 20 percent low- and moderate-income housing; and

      • c. The development has access to public sewer and water service or has access to adequate private water, such as a well and/or wastewater treatment system(s) approved by the relevant state agency for the entire development as applicable.

    • (2) For all other adaptive reuse projects, the residential density permitted in the converted structure shall be a maximum of 30 units per acre.

    • (3) All adaptive reuse projects are exempt from the requirements of section 19-156 (minimum residential floor area) and section 19-218 (Schedule for multifamily dwelling usable lot area).

  • (d) Setbacks. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, for adaptive reuse projects, existing buildings setbacks shall remain and shall be considered legal nonconforming, but no additional encroachments shall be permitted into any nonconforming setback.

  • (e) Building height. For adaptive reuse projects, notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the height of the existing structure, if it exceeds the maximum height of the zoning district, may remain and shall be considered legal nonconforming, and any rooftop construction shall be included within the height exemption.

(Ch. 914, § I(Att.), 12-19-23)