Westerly - State of Rhode Island: Division of Planning

The Westerly Comprehensive Plan3.1.3 Existing ZoningThe town of Westerly last comprehensively updated its Zoning Ordinance in 1998. There havebeen multiple updates since including the Affordable Housing Amendment in 2007. The ZoningOrdinance establishes permitted uses, minimum lot sizes, minimum front, side and rear setbacks forprincipal and accessory buildings, maximum building heights, maximum building and lot coverage,and minimum floor areas. The Zoning Ordinance is a critical tool for controlling the type, density,and appearance of development within the town. Zoning districts in the town of Westerly areillustrated in Figure 3-2 and described below.• Residential districts make up 67.2 percent of the land area of the town. The lowest densityarea is rural residential (RR-60) which has lot sizes of 60, 000 square feet (about 1.4 acres) onland that is currently agricultural, contains wetlands or other severe soil constraints, or othersensitive environmental characteristics. These areas have neither public water nor publicsewers. The highest density areas (HDR-6, HDR-10, and HDR-15) with lot sizes of 6,000-15,000 square feet are all served by public water. HDR-6 and HDR-15 are served by publicsewers.• Commercial districts make up 3.8 percent of the land area of the town. Land uses in theseareas include professional office, downtown center, neighborhood business, highwaycommercial (along Route 1), general commercial, shore commercial, and marine commercial.Some areas include the potential for mixed commercial and residential uses.• Industrial districts make up 9.2 percent of the town’s land area but much of the land in thesedistricts that is not already developed is protected by conservation easement.• Special districts protect parks and open space or areas dedicated for commercial recreationsuch as golf courses. More than 19.7 percent of the town’s area falls into one of thesezoning districts.• The Zoning Code also has an option for Planned Resort Facilities Development which isintended to recognize the town as a tourist resort area, provided that such facilities arelocated on a substantial tract of land and are designed to limit their impact on neighboringproperty. This type of planned development has never been used.3.1.4 Findings and Implications• The state plan identifies urban services areas and defines them as the areas with bothmunicipal water supply and municipal sewers; .these areas are designated by the state in the2025 Land Use Plan for higher density and infill development.• Nearly all the vacant developable land in Westerly is forested or agricultural land. Thereforeany development other than infill projects will result in the loss of open space.3.2 HousingThe availability and affordability of housing is a major factor in the livability and prosperity of acommunity. Important characteristics of Westerly demographics and housing include the following:• The age of Westerly’s population has shifted upward since 1990.• School enrollment has declined over the last decade.• Westerly has a significant seasonal population.• About two-thirds of the houses in Westerly are occupied by owners, one-third are occupiedby renters. About 13 percent of the houses are used seasonally.Westerly, Rhode Island 21