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)