About the City Plan Commission

Duties & Responsibilities

The City Plan Commission is responsible for planning activities in the city, including but not limited to:

• Preparing and adopting a Comprehensive Plan, including any amendments, for the City of Providence.
• Providing advisory opinions to the City Council on all amendments to the Zoning Ordinance, including map changes.
• Providing advisory opinions to the City Council on all amendments to the Zoning Ordinance, including map changes.
• Providing advisory opinions on any other matters referred by the City Council or Mayor, including requests for abandonment of city streets and creation of easements across city rights-of-way.Reviewing Redevelopment Plans for consistency with the city's Comprehensive Plan.
• Reviewing and approving all proposed subdivisions and land development projects.Reviewing and approving the annual Capital Improvement Program and Budget.
• Reviewing Institutional Master Plans for health care and higher educational institutions.
  

Other responsibilities as identified in Rhode Island General Law, the Providence Zoning Ordinance* and Home Rule Charter.*

The Providence Zoning Ordinance is Chapter 27 of the City's Code of Ordinances. This link will take you to a searchable version of the entire code of ordinances, you can select Chapter 27 from the expandable menu on the left side of the screen.

Review Process
The Commission is responsible for reviewing several different types of development:

• Capital Improvement Program Budget.
• Comprehensive Permits.
• Comprehensive Plan.
• Creation of easements.
• Development in RP- Residential Professional Districts.
• Institutional Master Plans.
• Land Development Projects.
• Redevelopment Projects.
• Street Abandonments.
• Subdivision of Land.
• Zoning Ordinance Amendments.

Membership

The City Plan Commission (CPC), as established by Section 1013 of the Providence Home Rule Charter, is a board consisting of seven volunteer members who are city residents. Five of the members are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council in accordance with the following requirements:

• Experience in real estate, development or finance (one member)
• Experience in city planning, architecture or urban design (one member)
• Experience in human services or environmental sciences (one member)
• Representation of general citizenry of the city (two members)

The Mayor and the Council President or their designees serve as ex-officio members.