Overlay district regulations—Institutional-health care (IH)
306.1. Intent. It is the intent of this subsection to establish an institutional overlay district for the purpose of regulating health care facilities within the City of Warwick and in accordance with subsection 302.1 of this ordinance.
306.2. Permitted uses. The following health care facilities are permitted within the institutional-health care (IH) overlay district in accordance with table 1, Use Regulations.
(A) Hospital and related facilities including hospital for mental, drug, or alcohol treatment but excluding animal hospital.
(B) Any use accessory to the foregoing as defined in this ordinance.
306.3. Dimensional regulations. The institutional-health care (IH) overlay district shall be subject to the requirements of table 2B, Dimensional Regulations, for the office (O) district, notwithstanding the requirements of the underlying district, except as provided below:
(A) Minimum lot area shall be two contiguous acres in the same ownership.
(B) Minimum frontage and lot width shall be 100 feet.
(C) Maximum structure height shall be determined by the relationship between existing and proposed buildings on the institutional site and the amount of open space between them, as follows:
(1) If a health care facility building is proposed to be located on a parcel that abuts a residence district, PDR overlay district, residential PUD overlay district, and open space district, where the open space district contains a parcel of land 5,000 square feet or more including wetlands, as defined in subsection 200.146, there shall be a buffer of 50 feet between said district boundary and the nearest structure. The buffer area shall be left vacant and in a natural state. If the buffer area had been disturbed by construction such as earth removal, it shall be restored to a natural vegetative state with indigenous trees, shrubs, and ground cover.
(2) Building height shall be limited to 35 feet whenever a health care facility building is located along the buffer described in [subsection] (1) above or is located along the required front yard. The height may be increased by one foot for each one foot setback away from said buffer line or front yard, to a maximum of 60 feet.
(3) Buildings shall be spaced apart so that principal front and rear walls of a building shall be at least 40 feet from any wall of another building. Any side wall of a building may not be less than 30 feet from any side wall of another building.
(4) In all other cases, the building height within the institutional-health care (IH) overlay district shall not exceed 60 feet.
(D) Minimum landscaped open space shall be 25 percent.
(E) Parking and loading shall be in accordance with subsections 701.7 and 702, respectively.
306.4. Administrative procedure. The institutional-health care (IH) overlay district may be enacted by amendment to the "zoning map" upon application to the city council. The procedures described in subsections 305.1 and 305.2 shall govern the approval process for the institutional-health care (IH) overlay district.
(Ord. No. O-23-24, § I, 12-20-23)