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Town of Smithfield
Town of Smithfield Zoning Ordinance
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§ 10.9

Technical Review

10.9 TECHNICAL REVIEW All uses which require a Special Use Permit shall also require Technical Review by the Town Engineer, as set forth below. All uses permitted in non-residential zones shall require a review and approval by an Administrative Review Team appointed by the Town Manager, as set forth below.

A. Procedure

  1. A Site Plan must be submitted and reviewed in accordance with this Section for all uses requiring a Special Use Permit. A Site Plan must be submitted and approved in accordance with this Section prior to the issuance of a Building Permit for all uses permitted in non-residential zones.
  2. Five (5) copies of the Site Plan shall be submitted to the Town Engineer or the Administrative Review Team, as appropriate. Within thirty (30) days of the filing of the Plan, the Town Engineer shall render an advisory opinion to the Board concerning any Special Use Permit requested. The Administrative Review Team shall approve or disapprove any Site Plan to be reviewed by it within thirty (30) days of the filing of the Plan, otherwise the Plan will be deemed to be disapproved.
  3. The Town Engineer or Administrative Review Team shall review the Site Plan in order to determine if the Plan complies with this Ordinance. The Town Engineer shall report in writing to the Board as to whether the Plan complies, and if not, what parts of the Plan do not comply. The Administrative Review Team shall state its reasons in writing should it disapprove a Plan hereunder and this decision shall be appealable to the Board in accordance with §10.10(A), hereof.
  4. If a use shown on an approved Site Plan is to be changed or expanded, a revised Site Plan shall be submitted for approval in the same manner as the original submittal.

B. Contents

  1. Said Site Plan, which may comprise multiple sheets, shall be prepared by a registered Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Engineer, and/or Professional Architect as appropriate to the content of the specific sheet of the Site Plan and shall show each of the following for the entire site, whether or not development is to be phased, unless an item or items are waived in writing by the Town Engineer or Administrative Review Team, as applicable.
  2. For all Site Plans:
    1. Location map at six hundred (600) feet per inch.
    2. The name of the owner or owners of property shown.
    3. Perimeter survey of lot, indicating location of all easements, rights-of-way, property boundaries, dimensions, lot area and zoning district boundaries, existing and proposed; survey shall be certified as to Class and stamped by a Professional Land Surveyor.
    4. Topographic Plan indicating existing and proposed contours at intervals not greater than five (5) feet; Plan shall be certified as to Class (as adopted by the Rhode Island Board of Registration for Professional Land Surveyors) and stamped by a Professional Land Surveyor.
    5. Elevations and perspective drawings which thoroughly illustrate and define the features of the entire project; shall be stamped by a Professional Land Surveyor, Professional Engineer, or Registered Architect as appropriate.
    6. All other data required to make a determination of compliance with off-street parking and loading requirements.
  3. In the case of condominiums, cooperatives or similar forms of ownership for any real estate, in addition to all other requirements for a Site Plan, a true copy of the Condominium Declaration or Articles of Incorporation, and the bylaws of the Owner's Association shall be submitted.
  4. Where required by the Town Engineer or Administrative Review Team, photographs eight (8) inches by ten (10) inches and/or slides in sufficient quality and detail to indicate the environmental features of the site, including, but not limited to topography views of the water, if any, adjacent or nearby open space and adjacent structures and/or uses of land.
  5. Where required by the Town Engineer or Administrative Review Team, schematic design plans which accurately locate all existing and proposed buildings and structures, parking areas, driveways, driveway openings, service areas, usable open space, landscaped areas and the proposed treatment thereof (including fences, walls, planting areas and walks), all facilities for storm drainage, sewerage, refuse, other waste disposal, and other utility systems, and which define all materials, finishes, structural and mechanical systems, and floor areas (including the proposed uses thereof.)
  6. In the case of two (2) or more residential buildings on a site in one ownership, assumed lot lines for each building shall be indicated on the Site Plan submitted with the Application showing that all required dimensional and parking regulations would be met if each building were in separate ownership.

C. Guidelines

  1. In approving any Application for a Site Plan, the Town Engineer, or Administrative Review Team shall use the following criteria:
    1. The protection of visual corridors to the water bodies.
    2. The use of landscaping to establish buffers between incompatible land uses.
    3. The provision of open spaces and pedestrian amenities available to the public.
    4. The arrangement of access points, service roads, driveways, parking areas, and pedestrian walkways in a manner which facilitates interior circulation and minimizes conflict between vehicles and pedestrians.
    5. Provisions for underground placement of utilities.
    6. Provisions for surface run-off and the protection of the site and adjacent properties from erosion as a result thereof.
    7. The siting of buildings, structures, and open spaces to permit maximum use of passive solar energy and to permit maximum protection of pedestrian areas from adverse impacts of winds, vapors or other emissions, shadows and or noise.
    8. Provisions for maintenance of common areas.
    9. All construction and development in the Village, Commercial, Highway Commercial, Light Industrial, Industrial, Planned Corporate, and Planned Development districts, as well as multi-family uses, shall comply with those terms and specifications of the Smithfield Land Development and Subdivision Review Regulations which relate to street construction, drainage, sewer lines, water lines, and performance bonds.