Buffer Areas

Land Development and Subdivision Review Regulations Town of Smithfield, RI

1. They shall be directly accessible to the largest practicable number of lots or dwellings within the development. Non-adjoining lots shall be provided with safe and convenient pedestrian access to open space land;
2. They shall be suitable for active or passive recreational uses to the extent deemed necessary by the Planning Board, without interfering with adjacent dwelling units, parking, driveways, and roads;
3. They shall be interconnected wherever possible to provide a continuous network of greenway lands within and adjoining the subdivision;
4. They shall provide buffers to adjoining parks, preserves or other protected lands;
5. They shall provide for pedestrian pathways for use by the residents of the development. Consideration shall be given to providing for public access on such trails if they are linked to other publicly accessible pathway systems within the Town or region. Provisions should be made for access to the open space lands, as required for land management and emergency purposes;
6. Whenever possible, they shall be undivided by public or private streets, except where necessary for proper traffic circulation;
7. They shall be suitably landscaped either by retaining existing natural cover and wooded areas and/or according to a landscaping plan to protect open space resources;
8. They shall be consistent with the Comprehensive Community Plan.

3. Uses Permitted Within Open Space Areas The open space in a Conservation Development shall be devoted only to conservation purposes or for park, recreation and agricultural purposes as provided in Section 5.6.3 of the Zoning Ordinance.

ARTICLE N. BUFFER AREAS

The Planning Board may require a vegetated buffer between new development and existing streets, neighborhoods, active farmland, adjacent park or conservation land, or other surrounding uses or areas in accordance with the following standards:

If property abutting the proposed Conservation Development contains developed residential building lots, or if there are existing residential structures within one hundred (100) feet of the perimeter of the Conservation Development, the following conditions shall apply:

1. Structures in the Conservation Development must be located to meet at least the minimum yard dimensions as provided in Article 5 of the Zoning Ordinance and,
2. A permanent buffer along the perimeter of the Conservation Development shall be established, providing for the preservation of existing trees or other vegetation or for the planting of new vegetation having adequate density, height and type of vegetation, in order to provide an all-season visual and audio screen between the Conservation Development and adjacent land uses. Structures and of-street parking and loading areas shall not be permitted in any buffer area.
3. This buffer may be provided in either of two alternative forms, to be determined by the Planning Board:
   1. A separate open space lot or lots as provided in Section X, Article L above, entitled Open Space; or,
   2. A permanent easement along the perimeter of the Conservation Development to be located along the rear or side property line of the proposed lot or lots that abut the perimeter of the Conservation Development. Said easement shall run in favor of the Town and shall be for open space or landscaping purposes only. Where such easements are located on privately owned lots, they shall not be counted toward the minimum required open space area.

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