Establishment of Zoning Districts

1.3 ESTABLISHMENT OF ZONING DISTRICTS For the purpose of this Ordinance, the Town is divided into zoning districts designated and described as follows:

1. Residential Conservation (R-200)

   This district is established to provide areas for rural density residential use, with single dwelling unit detached structures, located on lots with a minimum land area of 200,000 square feet, where limited agricultural pursuits and rural density residential uses are compatible with open space objectives.

2. Low Density, Residential (R-80)

   This district is established to provide areas for low density residential use, with single dwelling unit detached structures, located on lots with a minimum land area of 80,000 square feet to allow semi-rural residential opportunities.

3. Medium Density, Residential (R-Med)

   This district is established to provide areas for medium to low density residential use, with single dwelling unit detached structures, located on lots with a minimum land area of 65,000 square feet to allow residential medium development in areas with no public sewer 5 Town of Smithfield Article 1 – General Provisions Zoning Ordinance or public water and lots with a minimum land area of 40,000 square feet to allow residential medium development in areas with public sewer and public water.

4. High Density, Residential (R-20)

   This district is established to provide areas for higher density residential use, with single dwelling unit detached structures, located on lots with a minimum land area of 20,000 square feet to allow residential development where municipal services are provided.

5. Multi-Family, Residential (R-20M)

   This district is established to provide areas for higher density residential use, with multiple family dwelling units to allow for a variety of housing types.

6. Mixed-Use (MU)

   This district is established to provide areas for mixed residential and limited professional and office uses, where such use is limited to the street level story and residential occupancy is mandatory.

7. Village (V)

   This district is established to provide areas for neighborhood oriented, low intensity commercial retail uses, business services, and small scale professional offices.

8. Commercial (C)

   This district is established to provide areas for town-wide and medium intensity commercial retail uses and business/professional services, including office buildings.

9. Highway Commercial (HC)

   This district is established to provide areas for regional and high intensity commercial retail uses, business/professional services, office buildings, and automotive uses.

10. Light Industrial (LI)

    This district is established to provide areas for light industrial and office uses. The intent is to provide for less intense uses along the street frontages and heavier uses in the interior lots.

11. Industrial - Planned (I)

    This district is to provide for general industrial and planned development cluster of such uses for general manufacturing and related activities and office uses. The intent is to provide for less intense uses along the street frontages and heavier uses in the interior lots.

12. Planned Corporate District (PCD)

    This district is established to provide an area for planned employment uses, including planned office, as well as research and development parks, light industrial development, corporate headquarters, hotel/conference facilities, and related accessory uses to create a coordinated development approach along selected major corridors.

13. Planned Corporate District – B (PCDB)

    This district is established to permit by right the manufacture of drugs and pharmaceuticals limited to those permitted in Biological Safety Level 1 or Biological Safety Level 2 facilities as those terms are defined in the guidelines promulgated by the National Institutes of Health, together with research and development associated with such manufacture. In 6 Town of Smithfield Article 1 – General Provisions Zoning Ordinance all other respects, the provisions pertaining to a Planned Corporate District shall apply to this district.

14. Planned Development (PD)

    This district is established to provide areas for large scale residential and/or commercial development within a comprehensive site plan, subject to development plan review by the Planning Board.

15. Overlay Zoning Districts

    These are districts that are superimposed on existing zoning district(s) or part of a district and which impose specified requirements in addition to those otherwise applicable and/or allow alternate uses.

16. Airport Hazard Overlay District

    This overlay district is intended to protect areas of land or water upon which an airport hazard might be established, if not prevented, as provided in Chapter 3 (Airport Zoning Act) of the General Laws of Rhode Island, as amended.

17. Open Space (OS)

    This district is established for land held by the Town, State or private conservation organizations such as the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, and home owners associations with dedicated open space that is currently or, is planned to be used for recreation or conservation purposes. Permitted uses in the Open Space zone would be those agricultural uses allowed in the R-80 and R-200 zoning districts, certain open recreation and public and semi-public uses.