This bill amends the Rhode Island Comprehensive Planning and Land Use Act to specify the required content of a comprehensive plan. The bill adds a new section that requires the plan to include specific goals and policies for the municipality's future growth and development, as well as the conservation of natural and cultural resources. The plan must also include maps illustrating existing conditions and future land use, as well as an inventory of significant natural resources, outdoor recreational resources, and historical and cultural resources. The bill also requires the plan to include a land use component that designates the proposed general distribution and location of land uses. Additionally, the bill requires the plan to include an affordable housing program that meets certain requirements and identifies specific goals, implementation actions, and time frames for the development of low- and moderate-income housing.

The bill also makes a technical change to clarify that the comprehensive plan must utilize a minimum twenty-year planning timeframe, except as specified in the bill. The bill also requires the plan to include an affordable housing program that meets certain requirements and identifies specific goals, implementation actions, and time frames for the development of low- and moderate-income housing. The bill also establishes requirements for maintaining and re-adopting the comprehensive plan. It requires municipalities to maintain a single version of the plan and make it available for public review. Municipalities must periodically review and amend the plan to account for changing conditions, and a newly adopted plan supersedes all previous versions. The bill also requires municipalities to file an informational report on the status of the plan implementation program with the chief within five years of municipal approval. The bill further establishes that all municipal land use decisions must be in conformance with the comprehensive plan, and municipalities must amend their zoning ordinance and map to conform to the plan. The bill includes provisions for limitations on land use approvals, emergency situations, and moratoriums. Failure to comply with the requirements of the bill may result in the denial or rescission of state approval of the comprehensive plan. The bill takes effect on March 1, 2024.