Site design

A. Circulation. The design of individual properties or groups of properties shall reinforce the purposes of the CT district by encouraging pedestrian and bicycle circulation through the following site design techniques:
- (1) To the maximum extent practicable, parking areas behind frontage buildings shall be physically connected either as contiguous parking areas or through the use of connector travel lanes that will allow for automobiles to pass from one building/property to another without travelling onto the street.
- (2) Enhanced access management using shared access driveways is encouraged to improve safety, reduce vehicle/pedestrian conflict points, and expand continuous and consistent pedestrian-oriented frontages.
- (3) Pedestrian connections between buildings shall be provided as safe, broad, and easily identifiable ways of walking through areas that may also be occupied by automobiles. These walkways shall be designed to clearly show that the space is primarily dedicated to pedestrian traffic through the use of raised or alternative surfaces, signage or raised landscaped islands that may serve as a safe resting area for pedestrians between automobile travel lanes.
- (4) Where sidewalks or other pedestrian or bicycle ways intersect with automobile driveways or lanes, raised surfaces and/or durable, decorative alternatives to conventional pavement shall be used to connect sidewalks or bike lanes across the automobile lane. Striping across the asphalt used for an automobile lane to connect the pedestrian or bicycle way is not adequate for compliance. At these points of intersection, where vehicle speeds may reasonably go beyond 15 mile per hour strategically placed decorative bollards, stones, landscaped islands or other design features that promote caution are strongly encouraged.
B. Property frontage.
- (1) The location and design of frontage buildings, and associated frontage areas, are extremely important to achieving the goals of the CT District, as they will shape the quality of experience for people in the public realm.
- (2) The following standards apply to frontage buildings and adjacent frontage areas. See Conant Thread District Design Guidelines for diagrams that clarify these standards.
  - (a) Frontage buildings shall be located in a manner that facilitates pedestrian and bicycle access along and across the frontage area of that property consistent with the Conant Thread District Design Guidelines.
  - (b) The frontage area shall be dedicated to and designed for pedestrian or bicycle activity.
  - (c) The depth of the frontage area may be as small as 10 feet, or as deep as 40 feet and shall comply with the following standards:
    - [1] A minimum ten-foot-wide sidewalk shall run the length of the property frontage between the building facade and the edge of pavement. The constructed sidewalk may be located within the public right-of-way, on private property, or may include both public and private property depending on preexisting conditions and other opportunities or constraints associated with roadway geometry, location of utilities, and other elements of the built environment.
    - [2] All sidewalks shall have a distinct furnishing zone along the street where street trees, lighting, and/or other furnishings are offered as both an amenity and a buffer between automobiles and pedestrians (see Conant Thread District Design Guidelines).
      Editor's Note: Said guidelines are available in the Pawtucket Department of Planning and Redevelopment.
    - [3] Any frontage area that includes more than 20 feet between the facade and the outer edge of the sidewalk shall:
      - [a] Incorporate amenities that allow for passing pedestrians to gather, rest, sit, or observe public art or entertainment; and/or
      - [b] Incorporate private seating areas for restaurants or similar uses; and/or
      - [c] Incorporate bicycle parking facilities; and/or
      - [d] Incorporate green infrastructure elements that are made feasible with larger amounts of space along the property frontage.
  - (d) Street trees shall be required in the furnishing zone of the frontage area consistent with the Conant Thread District Design Guidelines. Trees shall be spaced along the sidewalk at an average frequency of one tree every 40 feet.
    Editor's Note: Said guidelines are available in the Pawtucket Department of Planning and Redevelopment.
  Editor's Note: Said guidelines are available in the Pawtucket Department of Planning and Redevelopment.
C. Side yards.
- (1) Where adjacent lots exist as part of a coordinated development there shall be no minimum side yard setback for existing or proposed buildings. These conditions include, but are not limited to, adjacent lots within a larger mill building complex or adjacent lots that will have buildings sharing a side wall.
- (2) Where development on individual lots is not directly coordinated with adjacent lots, side yard setbacks shall be the greater of 10 feet or the width required to make the back of the lot accessible to emergency vehicles as demonstrated on a development plan.
D. Rear yards. Minimum rear yard setbacks shall be 15 feet.
E. Landscaping. All areas of a site that are not rendered impervious through the development of structures, parking features, circulation features, or other hardscape features shall be landscaped. Landscaping may occur as installed or retained vegetation in accordance with the following standards.
- (1) Plant selection.
  - (a) No tree, shrub or plant shall be proposed that has been identified as an invasive species by the Rhode Island Invasive Species Council or other reputable scientific publication.
  - (b) Landscaping shall be designed to remain functional and attractive during all seasons through a thoughtful selection of deciduous, evergreen, berrying, and flowering plant varieties.
  - (c) Plant varieties shall be selected for resistance to drought, moisture, salt, urban conditions, or insects and other pests depending on the location of landscaping and the specific stressors anticipated for different areas of the site. Plants shall be selected so that landscaping can be maintained with minimal care and the need for watering, pesticides or fertilizers can be minimized or eliminated.
  - (d) The use of turf shall be minimized, but where it is used, turf shall not be planted in strips less than six feet wide. Lawn seed mixes shall be drought resistant. To achieve a high level of drought tolerance, lawn mixes may include, but shall not be limited to, a predominance of fine fescues.
  - (e) Tree selection shall comply with the Conant Thread District Design Guidelines.
    Editor's Note: Said guidelines are available in the Pawtucket Department of Planning and Redevelopment.
- (2) General standards.
  - (a) Where landscaped areas do not include planted materials, other decorative materials or features shall be used such as walkways, gathering places, or areas for public art. Unplanted areas shall not be filled with uniform gravel applications or riprap unless approved as part of stormwater management practices.
  - (b) Landscape features shall provide a clearly defined edge between the vegetated areas and areas reserved for pedestrian or automobile travel through the use of hardscape elements that may include, but shall not be limited to, fencing, curbing, or decorative stone.
  - (c) Any freestanding electrical structures, HVAC structures, or waste receptacles (e.g., dumpsters, ground-mounted transformers, grease traps, etc.) shall be fully screened from view through the use of evergreen vegetation, fencing, or a combination thereof.
- (3) Walls and fencing.
  - (a) Barbed wire or similar applications are categorically prohibited in the CT District.
  - (b) Chain link fencing is prohibited in the CT District unless it is necessary for compliance with security purposes unique to an individual use, is vinyl coated, and completely screened from view through the use of opaque evergreen trees or through a second layer of wooden fence material.
  - (c) Decorative fencing shall comply with the Conant Thread District Design Guidelines.
    Editor's Note: Said guidelines are available in the Pawtucket Department of Planning and Redevelopment.
F. Parking areas. Where applicants propose to reuse existing parking areas or where new surface parking areas are proposed, the following design standards shall apply.
- (1) Surface parking design and location.
  - (a) Each parking space shall be marked by painted lines and contain the following minimum dimensions affecting the width and length of individual parking stalls and the width of aisles in all districts, exclusive of necessary drives and other access ways.
    Parking Space Dimension
    (feet)
    Minimum width 9
    Minimum length 18
    Minimum aisle width
    90° angle 24
    60° angle 18
    45° angle 13
    30° angle 11
    0° (parallel parking) 12
  - (b) No parking space or aisle (backup space) shall be less than 10 feet from any front or corner side yard property. No parking space or aisle shall be less than five feet from any building. Parking spaces less than 10 feet from any building shall be separated from such building by raised curb, bumper or wheel guards.
  - (c) Each parking space shall be designed with adequate off-street area for approach, turning, and exit without the need or ability to use any part of a street. All driveways shall be a minimum of 10 feet in width for each lane of traffic using such driveway. The width of any driveway shall not exceed 30 feet.
  - (d) Parking areas, where subject to wheeled traffic, shall be treated with bituminous concrete or equivalent surfacing except where an alternative surface is approved as part of a stormwater management strategy.
  - (e) For surface parking areas associated with new construction, parking areas shall be located behind frontage buildings on the property.
  - (f) For adaptive reuse, rehabilitation, or expansion of existing buildings, surface parking areas shall be located behind frontage buildings to the maximum extent practicable. Where a preexisting surface parking area is adjacent to a pedestrian space, the parking area may remain in use so long as the applicant provides a landscaped buffer as follows:
    - [1] At a minimum, the landscaped buffer shall include a decorative barrier, which may be designed as brick or stone finish walls, decorative fencing, or a combination of these treatments consistent with the Conant Thread District Design Guidelines.
      Editor's Note: Said guidelines are available in the Pawtucket Department of Planning and Redevelopment.
    - [2] In addition to and inclusive of a decorative barrier, to the extent practicable, the landscaped buffer should include planted areas designed to provide separation between the surface parking area and the pedestrian space while allowing pedestrians to maintain visual awareness between the two areas. The parking area shall not be fully screened from the pedestrian way.
    - [3] Elements of the landscape buffer can include trees that maintain a canopy height of at least eight feet, and/or low-lying shrubs that will not exceed three feet in height. The buffer may be interrupted by breaks designed to provide pedestrian connections from the parking area to the sidewalk.
  - (g) Developments with proposed surface parking areas of six spaces or more shall include a minimum of 10% of landscaped area, inclusive of any landscaped borders surrounding the parking lot.
  - (h) The ends of parking aisles in surface lots that are more than 15 spaces in length shall incorporate landscape islands at either end of the row. Each island shall include at least one tree. Where the length of a parking aisle exceeds 25 spaces, additional landscaped islands shall be installed at regular intervals. This interval shall not be more than every 13 spaces. Where arced semicircle islands, triangles or similar shapes are proposed, the largest width of landscaped islands shall be no less than eight feet at their widest point. Where oval shaped islands are proposed, the largest width of the island shall be no less than six feet.
  - (i) Trees shall be selected and placed in landscaped areas so that all parking areas can reasonably be expected to receive 30% canopy coverage. The expected canopy radius of each selected tree shall be noted in the required development plan materials.
  - (j) Parking areas for six or more cars or any travel lane shall be separated from adjacent properties by a minimum six-foot-wide landscaped buffer. The width of this buffer may be reduced, or the buffer may be eliminated entirely, where the applicant, through the use of development plans, can demonstrate that the reduction or elimination of such buffer will not cause nuisance or undue harm to abutting properties and is specifically designed to:
    - [1] Improve pedestrian, bicycle and/or vehicular circulation and/or reduce curb cuts.
    - [2] Allow for the placement of driveways and/or buildings in a manner that better meets the purposes of this section of the Zoning Ordinance and the guidance in the Conant Thread District Design Guidelines.
      Editor's Note: Said guidelines are available in the Pawtucket Department of Planning and Redevelopment.
    - [3] Anticipate improvements to abutting properties that will be complementary to the alternative buffer design.
  - (k) Compliance with the standards in this Subsection F shall be demonstrated through the development plans submitted by the applicant. The applicant may propose, and the reviewing authority may grant, deviations to these standards where:
    - [1] Deviation from the standards allows for a more effective low-impact stormwater management design for the site consistent with the State of Rhode Island Stormwater Design and Installations Manual, as amended.
    - [2] Subsurface conditions such as the existence of utilities or contaminated soils make strict compliance impracticable.
G. Lighting.
- (1) Lighting for streets, parking areas, and civic/gathering spaces shall be decorative in shape, scale, and finish, with detailed, articulated treatments for the base, post, fixture, and crown.
- (2) Light poles and fixtures shall not exceed 16 feet in height measured from the base of the standard. Structural features used to anchor light standards (e.g., concrete pilings) shall not be counted toward the maximum height, but shall not protrude more than six inches from the ground.
- (3) All exterior lights on private property and sign illumination shall be designed, located, installed, and directed in such a manner as to minimize light trespass onto adjacent properties unless such trespass is intentional and meets the purposes of this article.
- (4) Lighting fixtures for building security, aesthetic enhancement, or display purposes shall be top downward (not upward or sideways), and full cut off or fully shielded/recessed.

Parking Space	Dimension (feet)
Minimum width	9
Minimum length	18
Minimum aisle width
90° angle	24
60° angle	18
45° angle	13
30° angle	11
0° (parallel parking)	12