Providence committee advances wide-ranging zoning amendments to implement comprehensive plan

Providence — The Providence City Council planning committee discussed an ordinance on Jan. 22 that would amend the city’s zoning code to implement the recently adopted comprehensive plan, including map rezones, overlay changes, new rules for multifamily housing types and limits on household occupancy.

The presentation, delivered by Robert Aysa of the Department of Planning and Development, summarized the phase 1 package of text and map amendments the department proposed to make the city’s zoning ordinance consistent with the future land use map in the comprehensive plan. A public hearing on the measure was scheduled for February; the committee voted to continue the matter for that hearing.

Why it matters: The package touches neighborhood density rules, short-term rental limits, protections for significant trees, treatment of historic-district boundaries and downtown review processes that require action at the state level. Together, the changes would affect where and how housing, commercial uses and accessory units can be built across Providence.

The planning department said the ordinance includes two linked components: base zoning map changes that rezones parcels to align with the comprehensive plan’s future land use map and a smaller set of overlay changes. The department described about three additions to historic districts (including two on the Providence College campus where owners consented) and four removals where historic structures were demolished or no longer existed. Robert Aysa said the map edits come directly from the comprehensive plan and an interactive map will be available online for details.

A key downtown change would remove the…