East Greenwich City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVIII
Private Education Centers
§ 260-102 Master plan.
All private education centers shall file a private education center master plan (hereafter called "master plan") with the Planning Board, which shall be in compliance with the use and dimensional requirements of this chapter and the Town's Comprehensive Community Plan and which shall be considered by the Planning Board as a major land development project and be subject to the normal procedure for a review set forth in the Development and Subdivision Review Regulations of the Town of East Greenwich for a major land development. The master plan must include all of the minimum requirements which are to be included in the five-year update plan set forth in § 260-109 of this article.
§ 260-103 Purpose.
A master plan is required to promote the orderly growth and development of private education centers while preserving neighborhood character and historic resources and to ensure that the design is consistent with the Town's Comprehensive Community Plan. The master plan shall be a statement, in text, maps, illustrations or other media of communication that is designed to provide a basis for rational decisionmaking regarding the long-term physical development of the education center. The master plan shall include an implementation element that defines and schedules, for a period of five years or more, the specific public actions to be undertaken in order to achieve the goals and objectives of the plan.
§ 260-104 Filing requirements.
Private education centers shall file the master plan as outlined in Chapter A263, Development and Subdivision Review Regulations. Said private education center shall review the master plan five years following master plan approval and every five years thereafter to determine if any changes are being considered or proposed and submit a five-year update plan as described below to the administrative officer. If changes are not proposed, the institution shall notify the administrative officer in writing that the master plan is valid and accurate for another five years.
§ 260-105 Review and approval.
The plan shall be subject to the procedure for review and approval set forth in Chapter A263, Development and Subdivision Review Regulations, for a major land development. A private education center master plan includes the entire process of a major land development, including the preapplication stage, the master plan stage, the preliminary plan stage (which may be combined, in the sole discretion of the Planning Board, with the master plan stage), and the final plan stage.
§ 260-106 Vesting.
The master plan shall be submitted and approved as a phased development consistent with R.I.G.L. § 45-23-48. The submission of a five-year update plan (or written notification noting that the current master plan is valid and accurate) shall constitute the vesting requirements of R.I.G.L. § 45-23-48(c).
§ 260-107 Phasing.
The permitting, design and construction of a private education center may be phased in accordance with R.I.G.L. § 45-23-48 after the submission and approval of an overall master plan.
§ 260-108 Amendments.
The master plan may be amended at any time by the private education center upon application to and approval by the Planning Board, subject to any other corresponding approvals deemed necessary by the Planning Board.
§ 260-109 Five-year update plan.
The five-year update plan shall contain the following minimum requirements:
A.
Mission statement of the institution, including its relationship with the neighborhoods, communities and environment in which it is physically situated.
B.
Description of existing conditions that shall include a list of all properties owned or leased by the institution within the Town. The list shall be arranged by Assessor's plat and lot and include street address, present uses and condition of building, structures, parking lot, open space and the like, and other relevant existing conditions of the campus. "Use" shall include the general academic function of the building or structure and not the specific program (e.g., "classroom" and not "English Department classroom").
C.
Statement of ten-year goals and five-year objectives and means and approaches through which such goals and objectives may be reached.
D.
Proposed phasing of new development and pacing of proposed improvements.
E.
Proposed changes in land holdings of the institution, including property to be acquired or sold.
F.
Proposed changes in land use within the institution's campus and grounds.
G.
Proposed capital improvements, including new structures, additions to existing structures, parking garages, parking lots, parks and grounds. Major renovations that affect the building and/or campus grounds shall be included. The plan shall, at a minimum, identify the location of such improvements, the footprint and exterior dimensions of any new structure, height in stories and feet, proposed uses, including primary and accessory uses, parking and loading to support such uses, and landscaped buffers.
H.
For any new building or additions to an existing building, include scaled plans and elevations in the five-year update plan.
I.
Proposed demolition of any building, structure, parking garage, parking lot, park or any other campus facility.
J.
A circulation plan indicating existing and proposed vehicular access, pedestrian sidewalks and general circulation layout of the campus. The circulation plan shall address on-site and off-site impacts on adjacent streets. In addition, the plan shall address the adequacy of on-site traffic circulation, parking and loading, sidewalk/pedestrian circulation, delivery and emergency access and related circulation issues.
§ 260-110 Preliminary plan and final plan review and approval.
The Planning Board shall review and consider a master plan for the entire private education center development in the manner set forth in the Development and Subdivision Review Regulations of the Town of East Greenwich. Subsequent land development review and approval (preliminary plan and final plan) may be submitted, reviewed and considered for approval in phases as outlined in the master plan or the five-year update plan. The final plan approval may be completed by the Administrative Office as long as there are no major changes as outlined below.
§ 260-111 Minor changes.
In addition to amendment of the master plan or five-year update plan, minor changes may be made by the institution upon prior written notice and approval by the Administrative Office. Minor changes include but are not limited to the following:
A.
The addition or cumulative addition to an existing building of less than 10% in the size of a building or structure.
B.
Any change in parking which does not result in a net decrease in the number of spaces available on the campus or decrease in buffers to abutting parcels.
C.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a mere change from one department or discipline to another shall NOT be deemed to be any change to the master plan or five-year update plan. Examples of such non-change events include a change from architecture and design department classrooms to medical classrooms, or a change from admission office to development office.
§ 260-112 Major changes.
In addition to amendment of the master plan or five-year update plan, major changes may be made by the institution, subject to review and approval by the Planning Board. Major changes include but are not limited to the following:
A.
The addition or cumulative addition to an existing building of greater than 10% in the size of the building or structure.
B.
Any change in parking which results in a net decrease in the number of spaces available on the campus or decreases buffer width to abutting parcels.
C.
Any changes in building location, roadway circulation, or parking location which increases the amount of impervious area and/or requires a variance.
D.
Any change which would necessitate a review and approval by RIDEM, RIDOT or KCWA.