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Amendments to the Rules and Standards of the State Planning Council

At its August 2022 meeting, the State Planning Council (SPC) reviewed suggested changes to its Rules and Standards, which were established in 1985 and were last been amended in 2017. At the September meeting of the SPC, a public hearing for the Rules and Standards was authorized.

The amendments bring the Rules and Standards into conformance with changes to Rhode Island statute and organizational best practices, as well as making some technical corrections to existing language. The proposed revisions may be accessed in English and Spanish through the links here, as well as in the righthand menu of this webpage, where you will also find the full hearing notices.

The three most significant changes to the Rules and Standards include:

• Change to Rule 1.1.7, Committees, specifically for the purpose of appointing an advisory committee for education, to comply with requirements enacted through 2022-H-7023 Sub B and 2022-S-2649 Sub A;
• Elimination of the redundant step for the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) to get authorization from the SPC before posting & conducting a hearing (there has never been a case where authorization was not granted);
• A deadline for revising the Rules and Standards related to the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) process (summer 2024), based on changes in technology and state/federal requirements.

The hearing will take place at 1:30 pm on October 17^th in the Conference Room of the Division of Statewide Planning at 235 Promenade Street, Suite 230. It will also take place via Zoom (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83169524961). Due to space and public health restrictions, we would ask that anyone planning to attend in person RSVP to Lori Cassin at lori.cassin@doa.ri.gov no later than Friday, October 14, 2022 so that we can ensure sufficient space.

Special Commission to Study the Entire Area of Land Use

The Division of Statewide Planning has a seat at the table to participate in this Commission, which was created by the General Assembly in its 2021 legislative session, with a reporting deadline of April 2022. The following presentation was given by Associate Director Meredith Brady at the October 19th Commission meeting: it provides some background about the Division, the State Guide Plan, local comprehensive plans, and Land Use 2025, the existing land use element of the State Guide Plan.