Comprehensive Plan Historical Information

Summary of Review:

On January 12, 2015, the Town Council passed Resolution 14/15-113 which disbanded the Comprehensive Plan Citizens’ Advisory Committee (CPCAC) appointed on November 28, 2005 and established a new nine (9)-member CPCAC to review and update the 2010 Comprehensive Plan. The resolution also allowed the Planning Office to develop a Request for Quotation (RFQ) to hire a consultant to work with the CPCAC.

On February 9, 2015, the Town Council passed Resolution 14/15-122 which authorized the hiring of Mason & Associates, Inc. for $35,297.55 to assist the Town in revising the 2010 Comprehensive Plan to meet new requirements for municipal comprehensive planning enacted by the State of Rhode Island. During this same meeting, the Town Council also appointed the following citizens as members of the CPCAC:

Gail E. Mallard, Chair
Joseph T. MacAndrew, Vice Chair
Faith Bessette-Zito
Stuart G. Blackburn
Barbara J. Cardiff (resigned March 2016)
Julie Cardinal (resigned January 2016)
James J. Federico, III
Gina Fuller
Nancy Richmond
Zallee T. Rosso (resigned May 2015)

On December 7, 2015, the Town Council passed Resolution 15/16-88 amending the contract with Mason & Associates for an additional $95,250 (bringing the total to $130,547.55). The amendment was due to a substantial increase in the scope of work necessary to produce the update.

Through 2015 and 2016, Mason & Associates, Inc. worked with the CPCAC and municipal staff to facilitate public engagement, provide necessary mapping and complete the first draft of the update. This draft, which can be found here, was submitted to the Town on June 24, 2016. A copy was also submitted to the Rhode Island Statewide Planning Program (Statewide Planning) for the purpose of seeking initial comments from State agencies.

Following the submission of the draft, the CPCAC undertook a first-tier review and concluded its work in February 2018. The CPCAC’s revised draft, which can be found here, which then underwent a second-tier review by the Planning Board along with a draft Executive Summary.

As per the Rhode Island Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Act (RIGL 45-22.2), the Planning Board has the sole responsibility for performing all those acts necessary to prepare the Comprehensive Plan update for the Town. The Town Planner and the Assistant Solicitor for Planning and Zoning directly support the Board in the update.

The Planning Board began its review of the update in October 2017. As the second-tier review progressed, comments received from the CPCAC and Statewide Planning were considered and incorporated into the update. The Board then held a Public Hearing before submitting its revised draft to the Town Council.

The Town Council then conducted the third and final-tier review of the update, which will also involved additional Public Hearings (by both the Town Council and Planning Board). Upon closing of the Public Hearings, the Town Council adopted the 2020-2040 Comprehensive Plan update through an amendment to Chapter 10 of the Town’s Code of Ordinances. With this action, the Comprehensive Plan update is now binding on all municipal land use decisions.

The adopted Comprehensive Plan was subsequently submitted to Statewide Planning for State approval.  During Statewide Planning's review, a 30-day public comment period was held and Statewide Planning provided comments to the Town of Westerly in a letter dated March 26, 2021.  Below is the initial review letter received from Statewide Planning:

Statewide Planning Initial Review Letter (03.26.2021)

The Planning Office prepared a response to the comments provided by Statewide Planning and redlined revisions to the Comprehensive Plan.  The letter and proposed revisions were reviewed and approved by the Planning Board during a Special Meeting on May 4, 2021, and the below documents were transmitted to Statewide Planning on May 5, 2021:

Westerly Response Letter to Statewide Comments (05.05.2021)

2020-2040 Town of Westerly Comprehensive Community Plan Redlined Revisions (05.05.2021)

In a letter dated May 13, 2021, Statewide Planning approved the revised Town of Westerly Comprehensive Plan.  This letter is included below:

Statewide Planning Approval Letter (05.13.2021)





Town Council Review:

On July 21, 2020 the Westerly Planning Board recommended the Town Council replace, in its entirety, "The Town of Westerly Comprehensive Plan," dated December 2009 and adopted on February 8, 2010, with:

The Town of Westerly, Rhode Island Comprehensive Community Plan 2020-2040, dated July 20, 2020.

The following supplemental Mapped Figures and additional table to be inserted into Part II, Chapter 2, Section 2.4 "Recreation" of the 2020 Comprehensive Plan linked above were introduced to the Town Council on August 3, 2020: 

The following document depicts the redline corrections made by the Town Council during its Work Sessions throughout August and September 2020.

The following document is the proposed 2020 Comprehensive Plan that was the subject of the Public Hearing by the Town Council on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 and Wednesday, October 14, 2020.

The following document contains public comments received after the close of the Town Council Public Hearing on October 14th.

As a result of the October 6-14, 2020 Public Hearing by the Town Council, the 2020 Comprehensive Plan was referred back to the Planning Board for further review of two topics: rights-of-way to the shore/river and residential accessory uses on golf courses. The following document includes redline corrections resulting from the Public Hearing conducted by the Town Council and was the subject of the Public Hearing by the Planning Board on November 17, 2020:

Following the Planning Board Public Hearing on November 17, 2020, the Planning Board offered the following recommendation to the Town Council on revisions to the definition of Commercial Recreation and the rights-of-way to the shore/river in the Comprehensive Plan:

11.23.2020 Planning Board Memo to Town Council on the Comprehensive Community Plan

The following draft document was the subject of the Public Hearing by the Town Council on January 4, 2021:

Comprehensive Community Plan for Town Council Public Hearing on January 4, 2021

The following draft document shows redlined revisions to the January 4, 2021 draft of the Plan made by the Town Council during the January 20, 2021 meeting and continued Public Hearing:

Town Council Redlined Revisions to Comprehensive Plan from January 20, 2021 Public Hearing

The Town Council adopted the revised version of the Comprehensive Plan on January 20, 2021.  Below is the adopted document:

2020-2040 Town of Westerly Comprehensive Community Plan (Adopted by Town Council January 20, 2021)

Planning Board Review:

The following documents were introduced by the Planning Office as public record exhibits during the Planning Board's Tuesday, June 2, 2020 Public Hearing on the proposed 2020 Comprehensive Plan: 

The following documents were introduced by the Planning Office as public record exhibits during the Planning Board's Tuesday, June 9, 2020 continued Public Hearing on the proposed 2020 Comprehensive Plan:

The following documents were introduced by the Planning Office as public record exhibits during the Planning Board’s Tuesday, June 23, 2020 continued Public Hearing on the proposed 2020 Comprehensive Plan:

The following documents were introduced by the Planning Office as public record exhibits during the Planning Board’s Tuesday, July 21, 2020 continued Public Hearing on the proposed 2020 Comprehensive Plan:

On July 21, 2020 the Westerly Planning Board recommended the Town Council replace, in its entirety, "The Town of Westerly Comprehensive Plan," dated December 2009 and adopted on February 8, 2010, with:

The Town of Westerly, Rhode Island Comprehensive Community Plan 2020-2040, dated July 20, 2020.


Prior Versions of the Comprehensive Plan:

The following is the draft plan created by the Citizens Advisory Committee in 2018:

Draft Plan – 2018 Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee Draft Plan

The Town’s previously approved 2010 Comprehensive Plan, adopted by the Town in February 2010, follows. Statewide Planning approved the 2010 Comprehensive Plan in November 2011. The 2010 Plan is composed of the following two documents:

2010 Town of Westerly Comprehensive Plan

2010 Town of Westerly Comprehensive Plan Appendices I-II


Audio Records of the CPCAC

  1. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 02-07-2018
  2. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 01-24-2018
  3. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 01-10-2018
  4. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 12-13-2017
  5. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 11-29-2017
  6. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 11-15-2017
  7. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 11-01-2017
  8. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 10-18-2017
  9. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 10-04-2017
  10. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 09-20-2017
  11. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 09-06-2017
  12. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 08-23-2017
  13. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 08-09-2017
  14. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 07-26-2017
  15. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 07-12-2017
  16. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 06-14-2017
  17. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 05-17-2017
  18. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 05-04-2017
  19. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 04-19-2017
  20. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 04-05-2017
  21. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 03-22-2017
  22. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 03-08-2017
  23. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 02-22-2017
  24. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 02-08-2017
  25. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 01-25-2017
  26. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 01-11-2017
  27. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 04-26-2016
  28. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 03-29-2016
  29. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 12-29-2016
  30. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 09-29-2016
  31. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 09-15-2016
  32. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 08-18-2016
  33. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 08-04-2016
  34. Comprehensive Plan Citizens Advisory Committee 07-18-2016